


Diamonds & Pearls

by lindseyluvsdrag



Category: Pearlet - Fandom, RuPaul's Drag Race RPF, rpdr - Fandom
Genre: M/M, RuPaul's Drag Race - Freeform, RuPaul's Drag Race References, pearlet, rpdr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 02:30:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8185798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lindseyluvsdrag/pseuds/lindseyluvsdrag
Summary: Matt lives an idyllic life working at a jewelry store and when the beautiful Violet comes in looking for a unique piece, his world is flipped upside down.





	

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Smut, Drug use, Graphic Death
> 
> I loved this as I wrote it but the more I edited it, the more I disliked it for some reason :/ but I hope your enjoy it<3

  1. 


 

It was the summer of 1934 and it was the year that would change my life forever.

In addition to the blistering Brooklyn heat, the daily unemployed man march went on as the Great Depression claimed job after job, leaving usually fearless men to weep in the streets as they gazed into their family’s hopeless faces. Not knowing where their next meal was coming from or how they’d make it through these dire times must’ve induced sheer terror, but I didn’t have that problem.

“Matt, dinner’s ready!” my fiancée Courtney called from the kitchen of our starter home.

The quaint little place was a gift from my parents after my third year at Columbia University. Such a gift was usually reserved for after a Lent man was married, but during this economic crisis, my family would've been stupid not purchase every bit of real estate that they could for a fraction of what it was worth from desperate owners.

My folks always did spoil me and I was never one to complain about it, but when they fled to India to escape the stock market crash of ‘29, I decided to stay behind to finish school and start my career in the jewelry business.

In retrospect, it was the worst decision that I ever made in my life.

“Matt!”

“Learn some patience, woman!” I said jokingly as I rounded the corner into the kitchen. Seated at the round oak table was the most beautiful woman in the world and she was all mine.

Sweet and soft spoken, I wasn’t even sure how I'd landed such a dame. Lent charm, I suppose.

“Looks good, babe,” I made sure to compliment. As I sat across from her, I noticed my favorite meal, lamb chops and potatoes, placed appetizingly on ‘the good dishes.’ Ya know, the crystal trimmed in gold that was usually reserved for holidays and special occasions. In addition to my mother’s vintage lace table cloth and the lit candelabra that offered the only light in the place, I knew something was up.

I glanced up at Courtney who smiled back at me with teeth made even brighter by the ruby lipstick that she wore. She’d obviously done her face with a lot of consideration in mind. Every line was perfect and she made sure that the pearlescent eyeshadow matched the flowy negligee which she knew drove me crazy. She even did her golden blonde hair in that stupid, wavy marcel style. It looked like a helmet, but I liked it because it’d stay in place after fooling around.

There were too many pleasantries and I was suspicious. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean? It’s just dinner.”

I thought long and hard. “Honey… I didn’t mean to forget your birthday, but I promise I’ll make it up to you. I’ll see if the store has something nice and-” Courtney’s giggling threw me off.

“Matthew, it isn’t my birthday.”

“Then what’s with all the jazz? The fancy dishes, the favorite meal, the hair!”

“You know how we’ve been engaged to be married for a year now?”

 _Oh God._ “Yes, I’m aware.”

“Well, that’s quite a long time and we haven’t even begun to plan anything.”

I desperately reached for my glass of wine and took a sip. “Mhm.”

She paused. “Are you listening?”

“Mm hmm.”

Courtney frowned. “Matt, you aren’t making an effort to get things going and it worries me. I’m twenty-four and the time is now. I want at least five children!”

I choked and the wine that came out of my nose burned like hell.

“Matthew!” Courtney whined. “If you don’t want the same things that I do, then stop wasting my time.”

She pushed herself away from the table and when she walked by, I caught her hand.

“Come on, babe. Sit down.”

Courtney gave me that familiar look of ‘you can’t bullshit your way out of this’, so I kissed the back of her hand. “Let’s talk.”

She sighed in exasperation before returning to her seat.

“You’ve been very patient in your waiting for this wedding… stuff.”

“I have.”

“And your patience is one of the many things that I love about you…I need at least six more months,” I quickly blurted but before I could explain myself, her contemplative expression turned into a frown.

“Why so long?! I cook, I clean and I let you have sex with me whenever you want to. The least you could do is give me your last name!”

“I know, I know. And I will.”

“Six months,” she groaned. “I could meet and marry another man in half of that time.”

The statement was unnecessary so I reacted defensively. “Then why don’t you? You clearly don’t need me.”

“I love you, Matt. I do. Ever since the first day of college, I knew that you were the one that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but you’re just so procrastinative. If you don’t see a problem with how things are, you don’t want to change them.”

“And I don’t see a problem with how things are right now, which is why you should just be patient. Let me earn enough money so that you can throw a wedding that’d make even a royal jealous.”

Once I noticed her fighting the smile, I knew that I’d won for the night.

“I love you,” I said in my soft voice that I knew she couldn’t resist.

She sighed. “I love you too.”

I grinned and leaned across the table to take her ruby coated lips against mine. “Mmm. Now let’s eat this good food, on these good dishes, on this good tablecloth-” I laughed when Courtney giggled.

“Well I had to bring out all of the fancy things to catch your attention!”

“It did indeed catch my attention. I was scared that you were pregnant for a second there,” I joked. She didn’t take it too well as she frowned and swatted me with her napkin.

“You’re impossible.”

I chuckled maniacally before diving into my potatoes. A somber expression crossed Courtney’s face, but I was done coddling her for the night.

—

We ate our dinner over dry conversation which was fine by me. The brattier Courtney acted gave me all the more reason to postpone the wedding.

Truth be told, even at twenty-six, I just wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted. I loved Courtney, but to me, marriage would symbolize the end to the freedom that I had. Would I be able to get up in the middle of the night and go out for drinks if I’m tied down with five babies and a nagging wife? Absolutely not.

I’d settle down eventually, but with an engagement, it’s just enough to keep her around but not fully commit to throwing my life away just yet.

“Are you done?” Courtney asked as I shoved the last piece of lamb into my mouth. I nodded and handed her my plate.

She was clearly agitated; dumping the leftover food into the wastebasket with a fork that created a high pitched screeching as it scraped against the glass.

“Court, don’t ruin the good crystal.”

She mumbled something under her breath before cleaning the plate with more care.

I stretched as I stood up. “Come to bed when you’re done.” I bathed and waited for her, but when Courtney never entered our bedroom, I had to find her.

My search didn’t last long once I saw my fiancée sprawled out on the couch reading a book. “Courtney, what are you doing?”

“Reading," she said coldly. "Would you like me to show you how it's done?”

 _Oh, one of those moods._ “No, I’m pretty familiar with reading. It’s fundamental, ya know?”

She ignored me as she turned the page.

“Are you coming to bed soon?”

“I’m not tired.”

“Well, neither am I. That’s the point.”

She turned another page.

There was no way that she was reading that fast. I made my way over to the couch and slid on top of her without disturbing her 'reading’.

I kissed along her exposed collarbone, making my way to her neck aka the spot that I knew would drive her crazy.

“Matt,” Courtney weakly protested.

I took the book out of her hand and tossed it over my shoulder.

“Matthew!” she giggled. “That’s Dickens!”

“I’ll buy you another,” I growled against her sensitive skin.

By this point, her feeble protesting was futile and once I bit down on her sweetest erogenous spot, it was all she wrote.

—

I woke up late for work the next morning but I had just enough time to brush my teeth and make myself a cup of coffee before beginning the six block walk to my job.

You wouldn’t think that a jewelry store would survive during such a nationwide economic crisis, but this place had been in business for over fifty years before I came along and a bunch of unemployed people weren’t about to change that.

The rich and famous would come here from all over the world just to get their jewelry from the legendary place and I felt right at home working there.

Since the occasional drifter would wander by, it forced me into the unhealthy habit of checking over my shoulder as I unlocked the door to Diamonds & Pearls.

“Ahh, I love the smell of money in the morning,” I declared as I flipped on the lights.

After all was set up, I put the jewels on display and waited for the customers to pour in. Over the past few days, I had to admit that business was pretty slow, so to entertain myself, I'd give each gem an exotic backstory. For example, the blue diamond was stolen from an ancient Buddist temple and the golden cuff was probably worn by one of Jesus's disciplines.  

This went on for hours until I finally heard the chime of the door go off as she entered. I wish that I'd had the sense to turn her away when I had the chance.

But it was the way she moved…the woman walked in like she owned the place. Her perfectly sculpted blonde hair, her curves that were made even more exaggerated by a tightly pulled corset underneath her body-hugging navy blue silk gown, her silhouette: perfection. She was divinity in motion and although rude, it was completely impossible not to stare. Hell, I had to pick my jaw off of the counter to even greet her.

“Um, welcome to Diamonds & Pearls,” I stammered after making the mistake of gazing directly into her distinct tawny brown eyes. “How may I help you today?”

“Hello,” she replied in a heavy accent that I didn't recognize. “I’m looking for a something that will make me the most envied girl at my father’s inaugural ball.”

“Oh? That certainly calls for something nice. Please, sit here,” I said as I pulled out the chair for her. “And I’ll see if we have anything worthy of your beauty.”

She smiled and I had to fight the urge to bow down.

“My name is Matthew. Matt, for short.”

“I’m quite fond of the name Matthew.”

“Then Matthew it is. And your name?”

She looked up at me, seemingly analyzing every square inch of my face to ensure that I was worthy of such crucial information.

“Violet,” she said simply.

“That’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

I had a bad habit of biting my bottom lip when I flirted and when I realized that I was doing it, I quickly shook my head and retreated behind the glass counter.

“So, your father must be pretty important…having balls- I mean, throwing balls- throwing inaugural balls." I tried to save myself in time but it was too late. The slip up was well worth it though as her musical laughter filled the room.

“Yes, my father is the Prime Minister of Spain.”

Her accent didn't sound Spanish to me, but of course. Only a woman with such a prestigious background could carry herself with such exquisite grace. “Oh, wow, that’s amazing. I’m not sure if I should bow or salute you.”

“Getting me some diamonds to look at will suffice.” She had clearly become testy and I felt like an idiot.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am,” I said as I unlocked the first glass case and pulled out a tray of rings with various sized diamonds.

Violet scanned over them, quickly chose the largest one and slid it onto her ring finger, which I eagerly noticed was bare. She held her hand at a distance from her face to examine the piece at every angle.

“Pretty,” she sighed.

“You don’t like it? I think it looks great on you.”

“I have about one hundred similar ones at home. Do you have anything else?”

“Hmm. What about a statement piece necklace? We have some really beautiful necklaces,” I assured as I returned the tray of rings to the glass case.

“Here." Violet removed the diamond from her finger and handed it to me.

“Thank you.”

I returned the ring to its slot and quickly retrieved the trays of glamorous necklaces and presented them to the woman.

She immediately grabbed the grandest of the pieces and held it up to her neck.

“That’s fifty-two carats of Zambian emeralds and diamonds, bezel set in rich eighteen karat yellow gold.”

“She’s beautiful,” the woman exhaled.

“Especially on you,” I said in attempt to secure the sale. “It’s definitely one of the finest pieces in the store.”

“Do you have any rings or bracelets to match?” she asked excitedly.

“There’s a ring here so beautiful, that we keep it locked behind the vault.”

The information seemed to pique her interest.

“We call it the Catherine and I think it’d look stunning on your hand.”

“Then what are you doing just standing here?” she demanded with another musical laugh. “Let’s see it.”

I nodded, swiftly made my way to the vault, undid the lock and took out the entire tray of goodies so that the goddess could gaze upon them and take her pick.

“Ooo, it feels like Christmas,” Violet said with a smile that made me want to check my pulse.

But I kept it together and replied. “For you, everyday should be Christmas,” I said smoothly as I slid the Catherine diamond onto her ring finger.

Her eyes grew wide at the flawless eight carat stunner. The ring looked like a solid ice cube on her hand and the nearly orgasmic expression on her face reminded me of why I loved my job so much.

“That’s exquisite,” she gasped.

“It was made for you.”

“Could I see the first ring that I tried on? I’d like to compare them.”

“Sure,” I said as I bent over to unlock the glass counter. I retrieved the ring and placed it in her hand. She immediately slid it on, giggling when the diamond was dwarfed by the Catherine.

I laughed. “Nice.”

The woman sighed before sliding both of the rings off of her fingers and placing them onto the counter prior to grabbing a third diamond.

“Hmm, I don’t know. I mean, I really like the Catherine but maybe it’s too over the top. And the emerald necklace would absolutely make everyone green with envy but I’m not sure on it either. Do you have any earrings perhaps?” As she spoke, Violet would pick up a piece and then another, then another, moving her hands at such a dizzying pace that even a professional like me could barely keep up.

“Um, yeah let me get some earrings for you. And don’t worry about how any of it looks, anything would be stunning on you.”

A little flustered, I retrieved the earrings and handed them to her. After trying them on and posing in the mirror for a few minutes, Violet grimaced at the sapphires and returned them to me before analyzing the pieces in front of her once again.

“Hmm,” the woman let out before the clock sounded, signaling that it was five in the afternoon and an hour before my work day was over. Violet glanced at the time and gasped. “Is it really that late? I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“But, but…don’t you want to buy at least one piece before you go?”

“I’m sorry but I have to leave now.”

Violet returned the emerald necklace and pushed herself out of her seat. “Thank you, Matthew. Maybe I’ll return someday,” she said with a wink.

Practically frozen, I watched as she exited the building. I quickly returned all the pieces to their designated trays in hopes that I could catch a glimpse of the woman as she sauntered down the street. A dame like that had never been around these parts and I doubted that she’d be around again.

“Hey, Kurtis, I’m leaving early today,” I announced as I locked the glass cabinet before carrying the other gems to the vault.

My boss emerged from his office in the back and did a quick scan of the cases before pausing. “Where is the three carat solitaire diamond that goes with this group?” the man, paranoid as always, asked.

“What? I just put it back.”

“Well, it isn’t here!”

I glanced over the tray in my hands. Emerald necklace…Catherine. “I didn’t accidentally put it on here. Look again. I know for a fact that I put it back after getting it from the duchess that just left.”

“Well you'd better find it quick or I’m calling the cops! You can't trust anyone during the depression!”

I scoffed as I locked the vault.

“It’s not anywhere in here!” the man screeched again. “I’m calling the blue coats!”

I was sure that I'd put it back. Had Violet taken it by accident? In hopes of catching her before she could get too far, I rushed out of the store and down the street.

I looked in every direction, but the woman was nowhere in sight. I groaned in exasperation before turning on a heel to return to Diamonds & Pearls.

As I passed the alleyway, the familiar blue silk fabric hanging out of the dumpster caught my eye.

“What the…” I mumbled as I approached. I grabbed the hem of the garment and pulled it out of the garbage. And sure enough, it was Violet’s. I’d never forget the way that the material hugged her body. But as I examined the gown closer, I noticed the snaps that were discreetly sewn along the shoulders and down one side of the outfit; seemingly created for quick and easy breakaway.

Utterly confused, I peered into the dumpster to see what else I could find and sure enough, right on top, sat the perfect blonde waves that had framed the woman’s beautiful face.

I had no idea what to think but when I heard the stammering of heavily booted police officers behind me shouting 'stop, thief!’, I had no choice but to run.

_Thank God for high school track and field_

With Violet’s remains still in hand, I sprinted down the opposite end of the alley and as I made it to the sidewalk, I collided head on with a slender man who also seemed to be rushing away from something.

By the sheer force of the impact, I was sent tumbling to the ground and the man groaned out in agony before shouting at me.

“What’s the big idea bud-” he got out before freezing.

I glowered up at him but I was quickly caught off guard by his frantic glancing between the gown and wig that I carried. I squinted to get a better look and instantly recognized the distinct tawny brown eyes.

“Violet?” I asked in sheer disbelief.

Before he could respond, the police reminded me that they were still hot on my heels. “Stop, thief!”

Violet took off. As swiftly as I could, I pushed myself off of the ground and followed after him.

While he sprinted, the obviously quick thinking man scooped up a small branch and placed it underneath his shirt.

I didn’t understand why until I watched in horror as he jumped into oncoming traffic. The first driver that saw him slammed onto their brakes.

“Get out of the car!” Violet demanded, pretending that the stick underneath his shirt  was a shotgun.

The elderly man quickly obliged and jumped out of the vehicle. As Violet slid into the driver’s seat, I could still hear the frantic stomping of the cops behind me so without thinking, I hopped into the passenger side.

“You’re not getting that ring back!” he shouted.

“The blue coats think that _I’m_ the one who stole it!”

“Get out of the car!” the police ordered. And before they could draw their guns, Violet slammed onto the gas.

The cops pulled out their berettas and  opened fire on the back of the Ford, effectively shattering the back glass.

“Shit!” I squealed when a piece of sharp shrapnel sliced my cheek.

Violet weaved in and out of traffic, sped over the Brooklyn bridge and continued to drive until he reached a back road that was paved out of dirt. He drove for about another minute, entering a heavily wooded area before finally pulling over.

Having never been on this side of the bridge before, I had no idea where I was, but I couldn’t think about that right now.

“Where is the ring?” I demanded.

“I sold it,” he said with a shrug before opening the driver’s door and climbing out.

“Sold it?!”

I clawed at the door’s handle before I was able to get a grip and open it. Jumping out of the car, I nearly twisted my ankle, but I quickly managed to catch up to leisurely walking Violet.

He abruptly turned to face me and gave me a critical once over just as he did when he was dressed as a woman. “I thought I was gonna have to kill you to keep you from ratting me out, but you ain’t a threat.”

I could feel my eyes bulge out of my head. All traces of the terrible Spanish accent had faded away and it was replaced by the rough, inner city New York accent.  

Wha-”

“Besides, the blue coats think you did it. That's even better." He turned and continued to walk but I refused to let him get away.

“Well, that’s cause my boss called them on me! He just assumed that I took it after you left!”

“Boohoo,” Violet mocked as he ran his fingers through his short, dark wavy hair. “Just go back and tell him you didn’t do it.”

“You don’t understand. He’ll never believe me unless I produce the ring...which is why I need it back.”

Violet snorted. “You ain’t getting that thing back unless you pay old man screwball triple what the piece of shits worth.”

“I’m not paying anyone anything! You’re going to go right back to where you sold it, give back the money and return that ring to Kurtis!”

When the man cackled even harder, I grabbed his arm but he quickly shoved me to the ground. “You know what? Rat me out! Nobody will believe you and since you hopped into the car with me, you look just as guilty!”

I’m sure a look of terror was plastered on my face because Violet laughed again.

“Guilty of being stupid!” he cackled.

It made me sick to my stomach to see the once soft spoken, tawny eyed angel as a brash talking, roughneck man.

I scowled as I pushed myself off of the ground. “I’m stupid?! You’re the one going around dressed like a dame, stealing from people and I’m stupid?!” I tossed the wig and gown into the mud.

“Well you’re the one who fell for it, Mr. Flirt.”

I grimaced in sheer disgust. “I’m sure if you put lipstick on a pig, she’d be pretty too!”

Violet dismissively waved his hand as he continued to walk through the wooded area.

I couldn’t stand to be around the crook for another second, but when I glanced around, I had no idea where I was. The sun was beginning to set and for the life of me, I swore that I could hear sirens in the distance.

“Hey, Violet,” I said as I rushed to catch up to him. “Okay, look I’m sorry that I hollered at you. But now that I’m mixed up in this mess, I need your help getting out of it.”

The man had pulled out a cigarette and had already gone through half of it by the time I made it to him. He took another deep inhale. “And what do you suggest?”

I thought for a minute. “I’m not sure.”

Violet scoffed. “Of course not, college boy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I saw your soft, pretty hands. You haven’t worked a real job or had to struggle a day in your life. You wouldn’t know a thing about surviving in the wild.”

“I don’t need to know how to survive in the wild,” I said snobbishly. “I have a nice house and a beautiful fiancée that takes care of me.”

“Oh, yeah? And where was she when you were undressing me with your eyes?”

“Ugh! You are a no good grifter whose only purpose in life is to bring misery to others!”

Violet let out an exaggerated gasp, clearly geared towards mocking anything that I had to say.

“You’re a bottom feeder and I really hope the blue coats catch up to you soon cause it’d be one less piece of scum off of the streets of Brooklyn!”

He paused as if he wanted to say something, but surprisingly, he bit his tongue and kept walking.

I rolled my eyes and turned to make my way back towards the stolen car. As the sun settled farther behind the trees, I couldn’t even determine which direction I’d come from but I spotted a tree that I thought looked familiar and walked towards it.

When I heard what I swore was a twig snapping underneath the weight of someone's boot, I froze.

“Violet?” I nervously called as I glanced around the eerily quiet forest.

My voice echoed amongst the trees and when he didn’t respond, I quickly rushed through the foliage.

“Wait, did I pass this before?” I mumbled to myself right before tripping over a protruding oak tree root. Landing in a patch of tall grass, I was swarmed by a colony of mosquitoes and my favorite shirt was damaged. “Ugh, Courtney will never be able to get these grass stains out.”

“Grass ain’t the only stain Courtney will have to worry about,” a raspy voice growled from behind me as they placed the rusty dagger to my neck.

My blood curdled and cell by cell, my body went numb. “Ple-ple-please don’t kill me.”

“Don’t worry about that, pretty boy. Just cough up the dough and nobody has to get hurt.”

“Okay,” I exhaled before slowly removing my watch and with a shaking hand, passed it over my shoulder.

“What else you got, Mack? Them shoes there ain’t cheap. I know you must have deep pockets.”

I was reluctant to answer, but when he pressed the blade harder against my skin, I broke.

“Okay, okay.” As I reached into my wallet, a wave of adrenaline suddenly surged through my body. I swiftly turned around, catching my grimy, wild-eyed attacker off guard. I shoved the man away and sprinted off, but before I could get anywhere, a sharp thump from what I assumed was a rock, struck me in my back and sent me crumbling to the ground.

The creep rushed over, sat on my chest and punched me in the face at least three times before rummaging through my pockets, taking my wallet and my father’s silver pocket watch that I carried for luck.

It must’ve been broken because it sure as hell wasn’t doing me any good today.

He hit me twice more and continued his assault until I lost count of the strikes.

“Danny, stop,” I heard Violet order.

“Why? You know this greaseball, Dardo?”

 _Dardo_ , I mumbled to myself. The name sounded familiar but I had no idea where I’d heard it before.

“Yeah, I got him mixed up with some blue coats today. But he’s a real square, he won’t hurt nobody.”

Only when the man pushed himself off of my chest was I able to breathe again. The next thing I felt was a hand on mine, pulling me to my feet.

“Shit,” I groaned in agony. “I think my ribs are cracked.”

“You’ll live,” Violet said as he let go of my hand and gave my face a little slap. He pulled out another cigarette and lit it. “Alright, Danny, what’d you take from him?”

“Twenty bucks and two nice watches that’ll fetch a pretty penny.”

“Can I please-” I coughed out before Violet cut me off.

“Give him back the watches.” He dug into his pocket, pulled out a few bills and the exchange was made.

Violet placed my watches in my hand and before I could thank him, he spoke to Danny again.

“Keep going down until you reach the dirt road and you’ll see the car I told you about if the blue coats haven’t found it first. I left the keys under the seat.”

“Thanks.”

“See you later, crumb. Stay out of trouble.”

“You too,” Danny said before walking away.

Violet took a long drag of his cigarette as he watched him leave. Once the man was out of sight, the short haired brunette turned on his heel and began to make his way back into the forest.

“Violet,” I whimpered as I limped after him. “Wait.”

The man turned around. “What do you want?” was his sharp response. It caught me a little off guard.

“Well, I wanted to thank you…for saving me...getting my watches back, ya know.”

He took a deep inhale of his cigarette. “Don’t get used to it, college boy.”

For the first time since the discovery of Violet’s true gender, I attempted to smile but he scowled at the gesture.

“So, why you stalkin’ me, huh?” he demanded. “You ain’t getting the ring back and you ain’t getting any of the money. You can’t even defend yourself. You following me is like a baby following me…and if it gets hurt I can’t just leave it. So-”

“How’d you know I was being attacked? Maybe you’re the one stalking me,” I challenged. 

Violet scowled. “I ran into Danny and I told him there was a car up the road if he wanted it. But then I remembered that poor helpless college boy was also walking in that direction and if I didn’t want a baby’s death on my conscience, then I had to find you.”

“I’m not a baby,” I grumbled under my breath.

Violet rolled his eyes.

“Is there a telephone around here that I could use?”

“In the middle of the forest? Oh, yeah sure,” he said sarcastically. “Just poke at that pine tree over there a few times and it’ll _magically_ connect you to whoever you want to speak to.”

It was my turn to roll my eyes. “No, you abercrombie. I need to find a phone to call my fiancée.”

“Well, there’s a restaurant that’ll make you buy a cup of coffee to use the phone over by the Eastside Hoovervilles.”

“You mean the shanty towns?! I’d rather dig through garbage.”

Violet gave me a look that made me regret what I’d said. The expression wasn’t threatening, but more so disappointed. He flicked the butt of his cigarette into the grass. “You dug through garbage when you found my dress and wig,” he reminded.

I tried to turn my nose up at him but my swollen and bloody face made me wince instead.

“Now, do you want to use the damn phone or not?”

“I suppose,” I dryly replied.

“Then follow me,” he said as he pulled out his third cigarette. His hands were shaking so severely that he could barely strike the match to light it.

“Let me,” I offered.

Clearly agitated, Violet slapped the cigarette and matches into my hand. As I effortlessly lit the cancer stick, I discreetly watched as the man became more and more frazzled by the second.

“Are you okay?”

“Just give me the cig,” he demanded.

I obliged. As Violet took the cigarette from my hand, I noticed all of the track marks that scarred the man’s forearm.

To my chagrin, his teeth even chattered as he tried to force the nicotine into his body to appease the withdrawals and hunger of whatever substance abuse was torturing him.

I was curious but I didn’t want to overstep my bounds. If he left me alone out here, I was sure to be lost or killed.

After a few moments, Violet seemed to calm down and the shaking subsided. “Alright let’s go,” he exhaled.

I nodded and began to follow the man between the trees. The sun was a few minutes away from leaving us in complete darkness, but Violet knew exactly where he was and exactly where he was going. When he stepped on a small branch, it snapped and the sound made me jump.

Violet laughed. “You sure are a jitterbug, aren’t cha?”

“Well, if you got attacked in the woods by a madman, you would be too!”

“Danny’s not a madman,” he defended. “After he lost his job at the bank, he just had to do what he thought was necessary to survive. Just like the rest of us.”

“'Us’?”

He rolled his eyes. “Well, obviously not you.”

“Well after your little swindle, I’m pretty sure that I’m out of a job too.”

“Jewelry stores are a dangerous business to be in anyways. You’ll find a better job, college boy.”

“You call me 'college boy’, but what am I supposed call you? ‘Violet’?”

“Violet is just fine. No use giving you my real name so you can squeal to the blue coats first chance you get.”

“I won’t!”

“I trust no one.”

“But your name is Dardo, isn’t it?”

The man hesitated. “Part of it.”

“It sounds so familiar to me and I’m trying to pinpoint where I’ve heard it before…”

“Don’t,” he said quietly.

 _Why?_ I thought. But I didn’t question it as Violet continued to lead me through the trees and foliage for about five more minutes before we reached a street void of cars.

I frowned. “Where are we?”

“Shhhhh,” Violet ordered as he picked up the pace along the dark road. My heart began to race as I did my best to keep up with him.

It felt like an eternity before I finally saw the lights of the restaurant I assumed was the one Violet had mentioned earlier.

“Lucian’s Café,” I read aloud as we approached.

“Yeah, I come here a lot.”

When we entered the small building, the man behind the counter immediately protested.

“Hell no, Dardo. I’m not dealing with your dining and ditching tonight. Get out.”

“Oh, come on, Lucian. I got money today.”

“Yeah, yeah that’s what you always say.”

“I know but I’m telling the truth this time.” Violet pulled a few bills from his pocket as proof. “And I’ll pay my tab for all the other times. Don’t I always?”

Lucian groaned. “Dardo, you are bad for business.”

Violet smiled. “But you love me anyways.”

“Whatever.” He gestured towards me. “Who’s this?”

“This is college boy.”

I rolled my eyes. “My name is Matt.”

Lucian gave me the once over. “What happened to your face?”

“Danny got ahold of him before I could intervene.”

The man simply shook his head, grabbed a napkin and wet it. “At least clean the blood off of your face.”

“Oh… thanks.” Highly embarrassed, I accepted the napkin and began to wipe myself. “Why didn’t you tell me that I had blood on my face?” I accusingly asked Violet.

He shrugged. “I’ve seen worse. You looked fine to me.”

I made my way to the bathroom and when I saw my reflection, I nearly had a heart attack. The corner of my left eye and my nose had bled out for awhile, but now the blood was dried to my face. One cheek was swollen from the punches and the other was cut from the shrapnel after the blue coats shot out the back window of the stolen car.

I did my best to wash my face of the blood while ignoring the pain and once finished, I smoothed my hair and returned to the cafe’s counter.

“Have some coffee, on the house,” Lucian offered.

“Thank you,” I exhaled.

“I actually brought him here to use the phone,” Violet informed.

Lucian nodded and gestured to the telephone booth in the back corner.

I made my way over to the booth, entered it and picked up the phone. “Hello, operator? Could you get me 712 West Greenville, please? Thank you…” I didn’t have to wait long before the call was connected and a clearly distressed Courtney answered.

“Hello?”

“Hello? Courtney?”

“Matthew,” she exhaled in relief. “Where are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, um, I’m not sure where I am but I’m fine.”

“Then please come home and turn yourself in,” she sniffled.

I was baffled. “Turn myself in? I-”

“The police are outside. They’ve been here all afternoon, looking for you and harassing me, saying that I have to know where you are. They searched the house,” she whimpered, growing more upset by the second. “Please come home. I’m so scared.”

My heart began to ache. If I went home, surely I’d be implicated. But if I told the truth, they’d go after Violet. He wasn’t an innocent man, but he wasn’t a bad man either. “Courtney…I can’t come home tonight.”

She began to sob even harder and I could barely understand what she was saying. “Why?” she managed to get out.

“It’s complicated. I didn’t do this but-”

“Then why are you running from the law? Just please come home,” my fiancée pleaded once more. “I’ve never spent the night without you.”

“I’m sorry…but I’ll see if I can make it back by morning. Don’t tell the police that, okay? Hopefully they’ll be gone by then.”

“Matt, I don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to understand. Just wait for me, okay?”

“Okay,” she sniffled. “Be careful. I love you.”

“Love you too,” I said before hanging up and exiting the booth. Once I returned to the counter, I watched as Violet shoved an entire glazed donut into his mouth.

I chuckled. “Is it good?”

He simply nodded before belching. “Lucian, give me another.”

“Classy,” I teased.

Violet scowled. “Did you call your broad?”

“She’s a lady,” I corrected. “And yes. But guess what? I can’t go home because blue coats have swarmed my place looking for a-”

“Hey, Lucian, I think I’m gonna get going.”

“So soon?” the man asked.

“Yeah, it’s been a long day and I’m pretty tired. I’ll probably stop by in the morning for breakfast though.”

“Alright, kid. Stay out of trouble, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Violet said dismissively.

“Um, Dardo?” I asked, using the name that everyone else did. “Could I tag along for the night?”

“Um, college boy,” he mocked, “how about, _no_?”

Violet left a generous tip on Lucian’s counter before sliding off of the barstool.

I quickly did the same and followed him out of the café, but when he didn’t stop or slow down enough to speak to me, I grabbed his shoulder.

Violet immediately snatched away and I could tell he was doing his best to restrain himself from punching me. “Who’s stalking who now?! Look, I got you to a telephone so you have no reason to bother me anymore!”

I had no idea why he was so angry all of a sudden. Maybe it was another withdrawal symptom or maybe he really was just tired of me, but I had to find out. A part of me even wanted to attempt to fix it.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Yeah, you almost blew my goddamn cover!” he shouted before going quiet. “Nobody knows that I’m a jewel thief…let alone a cross dressing jewel thief. That’s why I rushed out of there. How I make my money is nobody’s business. And if any of the greaseballs on this side of town are ever questioned, then they won’t have a clue what the blue coats are talking about. I just can’t go to the big house… I have too many people depending on me and-” Violet stopped abruptly when he realized that he had said too much. “Just…keep your mouth shut, college boy.”

“I will,” I promised.

“Now what were you saying about your broad?”

“She says the blue coats swarmed and searched my house and now they’re waiting outside for me to return.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah… Kurtis went overboard with this thing since the diamond you stole is worth two thousand dollars.”

“Well, I got a little less than that for it, but in these times, that’s like a billion dollars.”

I wasn’t sure if he’d answer the question, but curiosity forced me to ask anyway. “If you just sell the jewelry right away, how come you didn’t take the Catherine? It’s worth thirty thousand.”

“It’s too big,” he said simply. “Always go for the piece that nobody will notice is missing right away. And never, never, _never_ go for a jewel that has a name.”

I laughed.

“I mean, I was shocked that you guys noticed the one I took was missing as fast as you did.”

“Well, my boss is just certifiable. He takes inventory three times a day and occasionally pats down employees as they leave. So I guess you just picked the wrong store.”

Violet gave me a look before putting on his terrible Spanish accent. “No store is a wrong store if I get away with it…” the man leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Matthew.” 

_Should my heart be racing?_

And as if he could hear it pound, Violet flashed a smug grin.

I gulped and he laughed.

“Welp, looks like I’m stuck with you tonight, college boy,” Violet said as he pulled out a cigarette and successfully lit it before placing it between his lips. He took a deep inhale. “I hope you got a good dig through the garbage because off to the shanty towns we go.”

—

Violet led me further down the dark road for several minutes before turning onto a side street. The stench of decay and hopelessness hit my nose and it made me nauseous. We continued to make our way through the makeshift neighborhood; tin and wooden shacks that were slapped together with weak screws and rusty nails.

“I’ve heard stories, but I couldn’t have imagined it being this bad,” I whispered. “How do people live like this?”

“They live like this because they have no choice,” Violet said, tone almost accusing. “We’re all just trying to survive in this world. Some people have it harder than others but at least they still try.”

“Well, yeah but-” I stopped when a small, filthy child ran towards us. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to run away or prepare to defend myself from it, but when Violet picked the girl up, I was completely taken aback.

“Hi, Daisy!” he greeted as her small, dirt covered arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

“Where were you today? You missed the baseball games! I beat the Johnson boys twice!”

“Did you?! Awe, man I’m sorry that I missed it, doll face. But look what I got you to make up for it.”

Violet pulled the napkin wrapped second donut that he’d gotten from Lucian out of his pocket and handed it to her.

The girl reacted as if she’d just received a brand new car.

“Oh wow, a donut! Is it all for me?!”

“Absolutely,” Violet assured. “If you want to share that’s nice but sometimes a girl just needs a donut for herself.”

Daisy giggled. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome. Now get home, it’s dark out here.”

When the girl kissed him, I cringed. Her soot covered face left a smudge on Violet’s cheek and I prayed that the child was vaccinated.

The man returned Daisy to the ground and she ran off, entering a shack a few feet away.

“That was really nice of you,” I admitted.

Violet shrugged. “The kids around here need a break. None of these problems are their fault,” he said as if he knew exactly who to blame.

“Then whose fault is it?”

Violet froze for a second before answering. “Horrible, greedy people,” he said quietly.

“Interesting.”

I could tell that the man wanted to smoke again, but instead of reaching into his pocket, he began to pace faster and farther into the neighborhood until he reached one of the nicer shacks.

He knocked on the door three times, clearly some sort of code before the person inside cracked the door open and peered out at him.

“Hey,” the shifty looking man replied before allowing him entry.

“Wait here,” Violet told me before entering the shack and closing the thin door behind him.

I glanced around and instantly felt as if I was in a silent zombie film, just waiting for the starving and unemployed to rob me and feast on my brain.

When a man exited his shack and started to walk in my direction, I instantly began to panic. I quickly recalled all of the self defense classes of my childhood and even reached into my pocket to clutch my pocket watch. It all else failed, I could smash the silver against his skull.

The closer he got, the faster my heart raced. And once he was within arm’s reach, I braced myself for the attack.

As the man slowly reached up, I pulled my hand of of my pocket, ready to strike, but he simply tipped his hat.

“Good evening,” he said politely.

I was shocked. “Um, good afternoon,” I stammered. That was a close one, I thought as I returned the watch to my pocket. “Come on, Violet,” I mumbled to myself. “What the hell is taking so long?”

A full five minutes went by before I heard a creaking noise that made me jump, but when I realized that it was Violet exiting the shack, I sighed in relief.

“What took so long?”

“College boy,” he slurred.

“Violet, it’s super dark out here and we need to get somewhere safe.”

The man burst into hysterical laughter.

I frowned. “Violet!”

He quickly rushed towards me and pressed a finger to my lips. “Shhhhh, we’ll go home now,” he drawled. The man’s usually vivacious tawny brown eyes had glossed over and he could barely open his mouth to enunciate his words. “Let’s go, college boy.”

Violet grabbed my hand and pulled me along the dirt road; stumbling as he made his way to his home. “Key,” he mumbled when he reached the oak door. Unlike the other ones, Violet’s shack was clearly well built with thick lumber walls and secure windows.

As Violet dug into his pocket for the key, he began to slump over, but I caught and steadied him.

“Violet,” I groaned under his intoxicated weight.

The man slurred something unintelligible before his hands became too limp to even hold the single bronze key. He dropped it to the ground and with an exasperated groan, I somehow balanced Violet in one hand and knelt down to pick up the key with the other before unlocking the door.

“Okay, Violet, um, can you walk?”

The man’s attempt at a step resulted in his jelly filled legs giving out on him, nearly sending him to the ground but I kept my grip around him secure and decided to just drag him into his own house.

It was dark but the moonlight that poured through the windows was enough for me to see what I was doing.

I pulled Violet over to the small makeshift bed draped in plain blue cotton sheets and as gently as I could, placed him onto the mattress.

After sighing in relief, I closed and locked the front door before taking in the tiny, one room abode that could fit in my house’s bedroom three times over.  

The place was beyond basic with a small round table that had one chair pushed up to it. The kitchen could hardly be considered a kitchen as it was simply a small cabinet that held one bowl, one spoon and one cup. When I noticed that there wasn’t any plumbing, I frowned. _Where did he bathe or wash his hands?_

I cringed at the thought just as Violet slid off of his bed and crashed to the floor in a loud thump.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I knelt down to help him up.

He drawled something that could be compared to a toddler’s babbling. The usually confident, quick witted man had been reduced to a sloppy, soused lowlife who probably wouldn’t even be fit to wipe my boots.

“Violet,” I groaned. “At least try to help yourself up.”

“Make love to me,” he slurred.

Completely caught off guard, I nearly dropped him but the man was so gone that I honestly felt bad. I helped him to the bed once again and that’s when the brown paper sack fell out of his pocket.

Ever the curious soul, I glanced at Violet who was now drooling before I grabbed the bag. It was rolled up tightly so I unraveled it before pouring its contents onto the table.

A Zippo lighter, a spoon, a syringe and a smaller bag filled with a white powder fell out. I didn’t know what drug it was, but if it was strong enough to reduce this man to a zombie, I didn’t even want to know.

Too terrified to even touch the stuff, I left it on the table. Looking around the shack once more, I nearly dropped to my knees and thanked God when I spotted the radio on the small dresser by the bed.

The first semblance of luxury that I’d seen all day, I quickly turned it on and twisted the dial to increase the volume. _June in January_ by Bing Crosby played and it made me feel like I was at my own home.

But if this was my home, I would’ve had a meal and a hot bath by now. I would’ve been tucked into my plush queen sized bed with Courtney by my side or even straddling me.

I groaned as I sunk onto the cold concrete slab. I removed my blazer, rolled it up and used it as a makeshift pillow as I laid out across the floor. My mother would probably scream in horror if she knew where I was, let alone lying on the floor of such a place.

The next song that played on the radio was a familiar one sung by Bessie Smith. She was my mother’s favorite singer so it offered some sense of comfort as I laid with my face swollen and bruised; body filthy and hungry and mind so clouded that I wanted to cry.

What the fuck had I gotten myself into? I could feel my life spiraling so far out of control that it made me dizzy. The last thing I remember from that night were the few tears that escaped my eyes before I passed out.

—

“Did you touch this?!”

Violet’s snarl startled me awake. I winced as I sat up. “What?”

He lifted the powder filled bag off of the table. “This! Did you touch this?!”

I frowned. “Of course not.”

The man continued to breathe heavy as he weighed his drugs once again before finally exhaling in relief.

“What is that anyway?” I asked as I popped my back.

“Nothing that concerns you, college boy,” he mumbled as he returned the items to the brown sack. “Does your broad work?”

“No.”

“So here’s what you need to do. Go back to Lucian’s, call her and ask if the blue coats are gone. If they are, you need to go home and get out of my hair.”

“But… I don’t know how to get home from here.”

Violet shot me a look. “You really are a toddler aren’t you?”

“Well, I just hopped in the car with you down the street from the jewelry store and you just drove and drove and then took a dirt road. I’ve never been on this side of the Brooklyn bridge, hell, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a road that wasn’t paved before yesterday.”

Violet rolled his eyes. “I’ll get you back to the jewelry store. Then you need to figure it out from there.”

I nodded. “I only live a few blocks away from there.”

“Good. Because I have a lot of shit to do today.”

“Okay.”

“But before we go, I need to wash up.”

This should be interesting, I thought I as I watched Violet make his way across the room. He opened the top drawer of his dresser and grabbed two face towels, passing one to me.

I chuckled. “Umm...you don’t have a tub.”

Violet gasped. “Really?! _Oh my God!_ Someone call the blue coats! My tub has been stolen!”

I rolled my eyes.

“There’s a water pump just a few feet away from here.”

My eyes grew wide in horror. “Like…a well?”

—

“Push, college boy, push,” Violet cackled as I did my best to push down on the rusty water pump but it wouldn’t budge. “Weakling,” he laughed once more before shooing me out of the way. “Here. Hold the bucket underneath the spout.”

I obliged and ignored the fact that I felt like a medieval peasant as I held the wooden pail under the faucet while Violet pushed down. When the water finally began to pour out, I was surprised to see how clear it was.

“You drink this stuff?”

The man shook his head. “I mean, it’s drinkable, but I prefer beer,” he said with a grin.

I smiled. Even though I really didn’t  know him, or even his real name, I was quite fond of this sober Violet. Despite being a two faced crook, I could see the genuine person just trying to survive through our nation’s crisis.

He was obviously smart. He was kind and even good with the filthiest of children.

 _Wait, why do I care?_ After today, I’ll probably never see him again. That was fine with me but I mean, a part of me did want to ensure that he’d stay out of trouble. He didn’t seem to have any family members, friends or even a dame in his life.

_Make love to me_

Violet’s words suddenly rang through my mind once again. Did he mean me? Was he simply hallucinating in his drugged out state? And even if he did mean me, did that make him a nelly? And-

“Don’t spill it, college boy!”

When my daydream broke, I noticed that the bucket was tilting and wasting water. I quickly readjusted so that it was upright once again. “Sorry.”

“That should be enough for now anyways,” he said as he released the handle of the pump. “Let’s go.”

We returned to Violet’s shack and he grabbed a bar of soap from the cabinet. He dipped his towel into the water before rubbing it against the cloth to create suds.

I wrinkled my nose. “You don’t warm it up?”

Violet scowled at me. “Are you the fucking Queen of England or something?!”

I gulped. “No.”

“Then either wash your damn face or just stay grimy.  It makes no difference to me but I don’t want to hear any goddamn complaints, college boy.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I retorted.

He cackled as he dipped his towel once more before removing his shirt. Violet washed his face, neck and underneath his arms. And when he began to remove his pants, I quickly turned to away from him and wet my own towel; shivering at the chill water.

I slowly wiped my face and neck just as Violet sauntered across the room, completely nude. I closed my eyes.

“Excuse me, college boy,” he chirped. I took a few steps back and practically tripped over my own foot, eliciting a laugh from the devious man. “Do you want something to change into?”

“Um, no thanks…I’ll change at home.”

“Suit yourself,” Violet replied. “Literally.”

I tried to suppress my smile but the cheesy joke won me over and I chuckled a little.

“Oh, college boy has a sense of humor,” he teased.

“Oh absolutely. When I saw you for the first time, dressed as a dame, I said ‘what a joke’.” I laughed until I felt the sting of the damp towel as it whipped across the back of my neck. “Hey!”

I opened my eyes and turned to see that Violet was still completely nude. I quickly closed my lids again and tried to erase the sight of his penis from my mind but images of the full length member were already burned into my memory.

“Could you please put some clothes on?”

“Pfft, this is my house. If I wanna be naked, I will. Besides, I saw the way that you were looking at me in the jewelry store. Here is your full fantasy realized.”

“More like my worst nightmare,” I mumbled. "And besides, I thought you were a dame."

He cackled. I heard the rustle of stiff cotton undergarments and the sound of a zipper soon after.

I cautiously opened my eyes to find Violet pulling on a clean button down that paired nicely with his dark slacks.

“So, tell me about your broad. What’s her name?”

“Courtney,” I informed.

“Is she a pip?”

“Pfft, see for yourself.” I retrieved my wallet from my pocket, pulled out my fiance’s portrait and handed it to Violet.

He analyzed the picture for a minute before shaking his head. “How’d you score a dame like that?”

“Oh, hush up,” I said as I snatched the photo away from him and tucked it back into my wallet. “At least I can get a dame.”

Violet gave a soft smile as a thought that he wouldn’t dare say aloud crossed his mind. The man cleared his throat. “I could get a dame if I wanted to, but I don’t have time for any of that right now.”

“Oh, I beg your pardon, Miss Violet. Daughter of the Spanish ambassador. I’m sure you’re much, much too busy going to balls and things.”

He rolled his eyes. “Let’s get you home to Courtney before I have to blacken  your other eye.” Violet placed a cigarette between his lips, popped a tweed newsboy cap on his head and led me out of the door.

—

When we reached Lucian’s, I didn’t have to hint that I was practically starving when Violet grabbed menus for the both of us as we sat at the barstools. I ordered the first thing that I saw, steak and smothered potatoes while the other man asked for a simple ham and cheese omelette. Perhaps he had to keep his figure small for cross dressing purposes.  

“Geez, college boy. Slow down before you choke,” Violet reprimanded.

“I missed dinner last night,” I snapped. “I’ve never missed dinner before.”

“Lucky you,” he sighed as he took a sip of his coffee.

His tone made me a little sad and I got the sense that Violet had missed many meals. “So…do you have any family?”

The man placed his mug on the table before answering. “I do but I don’t claim half and the other half don’t claim me.”

“Why?”

Violet raised an eyebrow. Maybe my curiosity had set him off.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you to mind your own business?”

I frowned. “Well you answered the first question, what’s wrong with a second?”

“Because the more questions you ask, the more I’d have to tell you. And the more you know, the more danger you’ll be in,” he jokingly growled.

“Pfft, you’re about as dangerous as a kitten.”

Before I knew it, Violet had snatched my steak knife and stabbed it directly into the table, right through the narrow space that I had between my middle and index fingers. Had the blade landed even a quarter of an inch to the left or right, I would’ve lost a digit. “Are you insane?!”

“No,” Violet sighed. “But I’m quite close.”

“Clearly!”

The man smiled and took another sip of his coffee. “You better call ya girl.”

I had honestly lost my appetite so I nodded as I plucked the knife out of the table.

“Oh, come on Dardo!” Lucian protested from across the cafe. “You have to pay for that table!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said dismissively. “Put it on my tab.”

“What’ll that be?” I cheekily asked. “Another diamond or two?”

Violet kicked my shin.

“ _Ow!_ ”

“Whoopsies.”

I growled something unintelligible even to myself as I slid out of my seat and made my way over to the phone booth. After giving the operator my address, she put me through but the phone continued to ring and ring. I hung up and called again with no success.

Once I returned to the table, Violet was putting money on it.

“Have the blue coats left?”

“I’m not sure. I couldn’t get Courtney on the horn.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Is that unusual?”

“Very.”

“Then we’d better get over there soon. It might be trouble.”

—

After we left Lucian’s, Violet led me through the woods that looked way less intimidating in daylight. We kept going until we reached the dirt road that looked semi-familiar. The stolen car was now gone and I groaned.

“So does this mean we have to walk the rest of the way?”

“Of course not. But you don’t want to stay in a stolen vehicle for too long anyway. You have about an hour before the blue coats start looking for it and it becomes way too hot.”

“That makes sense.”

“Well, look at you, college boy. Learning the swindler ways,” Violet teased with a chuckle.

“I’ve learned that you should never take jewels that have names. Don’t keep a stolen car for too long. And you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover…” I said the last part quietly as I recalled the gentleman from the night before and even Violet himself.

He laughed. “Well I’m very proud of you.”

“Thanks.”

Violet frowned as he stared intently at my shirt. “What’s that?”

I looked down only to have the other man flick my nose.

He burst into laughter. “There’s another lesson for ya! Never fall for the oldest trick in the book!”

“Scallywag,” I grumbled while I rubbed the tip of my nose.

As we made our way down the dirt road, I knew that we were getting close to the street because I could hear the hustle and bustle of the Brooklyn traffic.

“Civilization!” I cheered.

“Yup,” Violet said with a smile before snatching a small branch off of a tree as we passed by. My eyebrows furrowed for only a second before I realized what he was doing as he slid it underneath his shirt.

“Oh no, not again,” I pleaded.

“We could take a taxi, but this is just too much fun,” the man said with adrenaline in his eyes. “Let’s go, college boy!”

When he took off running, I had no choice but to follow him. He made it to the street and jumped in front of a pretty, candy apple red Packard. “Get out of the car or I’ll shoot!” he demanded, clutching the branch in a very convincing way.

The young man slammed on the brakes, put the car in park and immediately jumped out, landing against the asphalt in a loud thump.

“Okay! Okay! Just don’t shoot!” he begged from the ground.

The sheer terror that consumed the man made me feel terrible, but Violet simply laughed maniacally as he took his place in the driver’s seat.

“I’m so sorry,” I said to the man, as I slid into the passenger side.

Violet slammed on the gas, narrowly missing the man we’d just robbed as he began to soar through traffic, swerving around any car that was going too slow.

“Wooo!” he cheered.

I ensured that my seatbelt was secure before digging my nails into the leather seat. “I really don’t think I should ask this, but how come you’ve never purchased a real gun?”

“I had one, but I got rid of it the next day. I don’t hurt people in my line of work.”

“Oh. I have one.”

Violet cackled. “What’s a college boy like you doing with a gun?!”

“My father says every man needs at least one Revolver at the top of his closet incase he needs to protect his family.”

“Makes sense.”

The man made a swift turn onto the familiar street behind the jewelry store; stopping in front of the very alley way where I discovered his wig and gown.

“Alright, college boy. This is where we say 'goodbye’.”

 _So soon?_ I asked myself. Of course I’d never admit it aloud, but I honestly wasn’t ready to part with the high-spirited man.

Had I grown attached? Had I made a friend? I had no idea, but I needed to think of an excuse and quick.

“Um, well, um. What if the blue coats are still outside of my house?”

“Then you’re shit out of luck, buddy.”

My face fell a little and I think Violet got the hint.

He groaned loudly. “You’re such a toddler.” I smiled as the man cut the engine. He left the keys in the ignition and climbed out of the car. “Lead the way, princess.”

I normally would’ve been offended by the term, but coming from Violet, it almost sounded like a compliment. As I led the man down block after block, I grew more and more excited for him to see my abode. It felt as if I was bringing home a stray dog.

The further we made it into my neighborhood, the more I noticed Violet taking in every immaculate detail of the perfectly manicured lawns and the white picket fences.

When we passed a home a few houses down from mine, he paused before grabbing the small pink tricycle out of the front yard.

I scowled. “Hey, put that back,” I demanded through a clenched jaw.

“But it’d make a great gift for Daisy,” he said as if that'd make the theft okay.

“No! I know the family that lives here. The little girl is super sweet and it belongs to her.”

“And her rich mommy and daddy can buy her a new one.”

“Violet…kids are off limits.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine.” To my surprise, the man obliged and returned the tricycle to the yard before continuing to follow me.

“Growing a conscience?” I teased.

“Growing a pain in my ass,” he mumbled.

I laughed just as we made it to the stone pathway my house.

Violet snatched one of my white roses off of the bush. “So this is where the college boy lives,” he said, almost admiringly.

“Yep. Make yourself at home.”

The look on his face was one of slight shock. It was as if nobody had ever told him that before and I watched as he suppressed his smile which made me smile too.

I unlocked the door and held it open for him. “Ladies first,” I teased.

Violet rolled his eyes and chuckled before entering anyway. “It’s so nice in here, college boy,” he said before freezing with his eyebrows furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as I approached from behind.

“Shhhhh.”

Once I got quiet, I was able to hear Courtney’s faint moaning.

Violet shot me a wide eyed look before I stormed down the hallway to my bedroom. Without even checking to see if it was unlocked, I kicked in the door and a surge of heat shot through my body when I saw my fiancée in bed with another man.

“Matt,” Courtney gasped as she pulled away from him and gathered the covers over her chest to not be indecently exposed.

After that, I can’t recall anything that was said or done besides the ringing in my ears as I shouted.

“What the fuck!”

“Matthew,” the woman pleaded. “Please, let me explain.”

“How long has this been going on?!”

“This is the first and last time, I swear!”

“Six months, Courtney! Six months and you would’ve been my wife! But you couldn’t wait because you’re a whore!”

“Don’t speak to her like that, jewel thief!” the unknown man defended.

At that, I simply blacked out.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as I made my way to my closet, retrieved my Enfield Revolver and returned to my room. I pointed the gun directly at the man’s head.

When Violet’s, Courtney’s and the man’s pleadings were wasted on deaf ears, in a blind rage, I pulled the trigger.

“Oh my God!” Courtney wept hysterically as blood and brains splattered on her face and up the wall.

When the warm spray hit me as well, I finally snapped out of my trace. “Oh God…what did I do?” I exhaled.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Violet panicked as he tried to think. “I knew that this side of the bridge was trouble, but I told you that nobody ever gets killed in my line of work!”

“You threatened to kill me when you thought I’d snitch!” I retorted.

“Yeah because you’re the only one who knows about it and if you recall, I _didn’t_ kill you!”

The grim reality of everything that’d happened in the past two minutes hit me like a freight train and I began to panic.

“Oh God, Oh God,” I whimpered. “Violet, what should I do? I don’t want to go to prison for the rest of my life. I-I-I-”

Violet placed both of his hands on my shoulders. “Shhhhh, college boy. Nobody’s going to the big house. Just remain calm and I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

I suppressed my tears as he made his way over to the dead man’s side of the bed.

“Fuck! This guy was a blue coat!” he shouted before picking the police uniform off of the floor.

My blood turned to ice and I’m sure all of the color faded from my face.

“Yes,” Courtney admitted. “He was one of the officers looking for you and when you didn’t return last night, he offered to stay with me for my safety.

“Your safety?!” I retorted explosively. “Your safety?!”

I raised the gun once again. Even though it wasn’t pointed towards her, Courtney began to beg for her life.

Violet grabbed my hand. “College boy, listen to me,” he said sternly. “Other blue coats will come looking for him. We have to make it look like he was never here.”

“I want no parts of this,” Courtney declared which instantly set Violet off.

He snatched the gun away from me and approached her. “Listen, bitch. Had you kept your legs closed, college boy wouldn’t be in this mess,” he hissed. The man placed the barrel of the revolver directly against her temple.  “Now get your ass up and help us.”

“Okay…okay,” she sobbed. 

“College boy, find some shovels. Broad, wrap the stiff’s head in a blanket and put all of his things in a bag.”

If I thought my life was spiraling out of control before, now, I felt as if I could vomit my soul away.

“College boy, get a shovel!” Violet ordered once again.

I jumped a little but then rushed out to the shed in my backyard. I grabbed the only shovel and when I returned inside, I heard the  knock on my front door.

“Oh my God,” I whimpered, panic overwhelming me. “What if it’s the blue coats?”

I could practically see the wheels in Violet’s head turning as he thought. “Put your robe on,” he ordered Courtney. The man then grabbed one of her face creams and a scarf.

A nude Courtney scurried across the room into the closet and pulled on the first nightgown that she saw, right before Violet slathered some of the cream onto the woman’s face.

It worked as a great mask to cover the blood on her face and the scarf concealed the brains in her hair.

Violet placed the gun to her head once again as he spoke. “Your story is that you can’t let them in because you just got out of the bath. A decent woman wouldn’t do that,” he said accusingly. “So you’ve got quite a bit of acting to do here.”

Courtney nodded as she did her best to suppress her tears. I didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for the woman I once loved so I simply folded my arms and watched as Violet stood behind her. He seemed to enjoy placing the gun at the small of her back, even more than I would’ve.

She followed his orders and walked towards the living room. Courtney took a deep breath while Violet hid just out of view as she opened the front door.

It was an elderly neighbor. She was a little taken aback by Courtney’s appearance.

“Good morning, Mrs. Davis,” she greeted in a weak, shaking voice. “How are you?”

“Well, I heard a loud noise. Like a truck backfiring or gun. Are you alright?”

“Oh, no…that wasn’t a gun…it was me dropping my favorite cast iron skillet. You know, my face cream was still on my hands and it slipped right out…it nearly smashed my foot as well.”

“Oh, dear you must be careful! Um, did Matthew ever come back?” she whispered.

Courtney’s heart raced when she heard the  revolver click behind her. She did her best to hide the hysteria in her voice. “Oh no, no um, he’s still gone.”

“You poor thing!”

She jumped when she heard the click again. “I’ll be fine,” Courtney said, voice cracking more and more with each word. “Face creams and baths to make a girl feel better, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“Well, my water is getting cold. Thank you so much for checking on me.”

“You’re welcome, my dear. Be careful.”

“I will,” she sniffled quietly before closing the door and bursting into tears.

“Well done, broad,” Violet commended. “Now start washing the walls in the bedroom of any blood.”

“May I please bathe and wash my hair first,” she wept. “I think I may vomit if I don’t get this blood off of me.”

“And I think I may shoot you if you don’t do what I say!”

Courtney let out an agonized groan before retrieving the cleaning supplies from underneath the kitchen sink.

When she walked past me to enter the bedroom, I grabbed her left hand to stop her. I lifted it and snatched the engagement ring off of her finger; watching as her expression went from somber to devastated.

“Come on, college boy. We need to dig a hole.”

In a mindless, zombie-like state, I pocketed the diamond and followed Violet out to my backyard. He chose a discreet spot on the side of the house and began to dig.

It took him about ten minutes to make a hole that was only a foot deep. “This is going to take forever. I’m going to borrow a shovel from one of your neighbors.”

I looked at him through wide eyes. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“It’ll be fine, college boy. Nobody over here knows me. I’ll be right back. Keep digging.”

I followed his orders, continuing to make the hole deeper and wider, doing my best to ignore the fact that I was digging someone’s grave.

A minute later, Violet returned with a second shovel. I exhaled in relief. His presence at this time had an extremely calming effect on me and had he been gone a moment longer, I probably would’ve broke down.

“‘Hey, my name is Brian and I just moved down the street from here’,” Violet recited what he’d said to the neighbor. “‘I’m doing some landscaping and I was wondering if I could borrow your shovel’?”

“Very clever...so is Brian your real name?"

"Nope."

"Okay, bu-"

"Dig, college boy!"

With two shovels, Violet and I were able to dig a hole that was six feet tall and four feet deep within an hour. We then grabbed the stiff, carried it out to the hole and buried him with all of his belongings.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly before patting the last bit of dirt onto the grave.  

Violet gave my shoulder a firm squeeze before pulling me into the house. He froze. “Where’s the broad?”

“Courtney?” I called.

No response.

Violet and I quickly searched the house. The woman had fled.

“Shit! I knew from the moment I saw her that she wasn’t good enough for you!” Violet hissed.

My eyebrows furrowed at the statement, but I didn’t have enough time to process it as the man continued to speak.

“We have to get out of here. She’s probably at the police station by now.”

I mindlessly followed Violet’s lead and grabbed a bag. I stuffed all of my valuables and family heirlooms into it while the other man took several of Courtney’s gowns and furs.

I didn’t have time to think about that either and when we heard a siren outside of my house, Violet and I rushed out of the backdoor. We hopped the fence and sprinted through the neighborhood and then down the street until we reached a traffic stop.

Still armed, Violet pointed the gun at the first car that had stopped at the red light and demanded that they exit the vehicle.

The woman immediately began to weep and but swiftly obliged. Her sculpted blonde hair and delicate features instantly reminded me of Courtney and as the odd sense of power surged through me, I scowled.

“You tell anyone about this and I’ll kill you!” I warned.

“I won’t, I won’t,” she sobbed.

“Shut up, bitch!”

Violet shot me a look before we slid into the car. With him in the driver’s seat, he punched the gas and we took off.

“What was all of that ‘bitch’ jive about?” he asked. “Are you a hardened criminal now?”

“She just reminded me of Courtney,” I admitted. “Every time I think about her, all I see is that guy plowing her like a field.”

“I’m sorry,” Violet quietly offered.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“Yeah, but I know it must’ve really hurt you to see that. And…I don’t want to see you hurt.”

I glanced over at the other man and just as I made eye contact with him, he turned to face the road again. I hesitated before asking the next question. “When you said, ‘I knew from the moment I saw her that she wasn’t good enough for you’…what did you mean?”

“Um, I-I-,” he stammered. “I just saw how shifty she was in her portrait. Never trust a blonde.”

I smiled. Although I felt there was more to the reason why he said it, I decided to let it go because there were much bigger fish to fry.

About an hour into our drive, the song on the radio was interrupted by an all points bulletin.

_Attention citizens of the Brooklyn and New York city area! We interrupt this program to advise you to be on the lookout for two men. Matthew James Lent, 26, and another unknown assailant are wanted for the cold blooded murder of Lieutenant Daniel Donigan. Donigan had been having a month long affair with Lent’s fiancée and-_

“What?!” I shouted in disbelief. “No wonder he was so quick to defend her! Did she just want to rush the marriage because she wanted the Lent name? Ugh, I officially hate broads now!”

_Lent was also implicated in the robbery of Diamonds & Pearls, the jewelry store he’s worked at for the past few years, which is why the owner knows ‘only he could get away with the theft so effortlessly. He knows how the jewelry system works.’_

I watched Violet as the gears in his head began to turn.

_Wanted posters of the fugitive will be printed and posted about town. Once again, be on the lookout for these two. They are said to be armed and dangerous._

The bulletin faded and the soft music continued to play but Violet’s expression didn’t changed.

Highly suspicious, I folded my arms. “What are you thinking about?”

“Well…it is very true that you have behind the scene knowledge of how jewelry stores operate…and I’m quite skilled with a slide of hand…I was thinking that maybe we could…” he trailed off suggestively.

I frowned. “No way! That news broadcast just made me the most wanted man in the state! I don’t want to get into anymore trouble.”

Violet sighed. “Fine.”

“Oh God, my mother is going to die when she finds out that I got brains on her good linens, let alone murdered someone,” I groaned.

“Don’t worry, college boy. We’ll get to a phone soon. You’ll call and explain everything…with a few embellishments of course.”

“I guess. Where are we going?” I asked as he sped over the Brooklyn bridge.

“Atlanta,” he replied simply.

“Atlanta?!”

“Mm hmm.”

“Why? I mean, I understand wanting to get out of town but what made you settle on Atlanta?”

“My family.”

—

As we crossed state line after state line, we stole and abandoned several cars to avoid having to stop at the gas station.

Violet even let me point the gun for one of the stick ups, but it was the first and last after I tripped and fell on my face in the process.

“Oh college boy, you’re such a toddler!” he declared with a cackle as I sped off.

We took turns driving until we reached a small town in Virginia. Both exhausted, we decided to stop at a local motel.

“And my wig kept sliding back!” Violet exclaimed, regaling details of the first time he'd stolen from a jewelry store.

“Oh, that must’ve been nerve racking,” I chuckled as we entered the small, two bedded room.

“It was! I just had to hold my hand on my head to keep it in place and really lean in, pretending as if I was truly engaged in the flirtatious conversation with the guy.”

“Like you did with me?”

“Well-” he stopped abruptly.

“Well?”

Violet shot me a look through narrow eyes and pouty lips before putting on his Spanish accent. “Maybe I didn’t have to pretend.”

I felt an odd twinge in my stomach. And even as Violet laughed off the joke, I couldn’t help but gnaw on my bottom lip as I tried to think of something to say but I couldn’t come up with anything in time before he entered the bathroom. I watched as he slowly ran his fingers along the sink’s ceramic bowl.

“It’s been so long,” he exhaled. “I know you think that I’m just some backwoods bum, but I used to live in a house just as nice as yours.”

I could’ve asked what happened, but it would’ve been a dumb question.

He turned on the faucet and cautiously stuck his hand underneath the stream. “It tickles.”

I smiled at his giggles and childlike curiosity as he flipped every switch, turned every nozzle and sniffed every bar of soap.

“This one smells like violets!” the man excitedly declared.

“So…like onions and desperation?”

Violet threw a towel at me in retaliation. “I’m going to take a bath. A very long, hot bath with this amazing violet soap.”

“Thank God. That’d be like a public service,” I teased yet again. I instantly regretted it. I didn’t know if the other man would take offense to the harsh taunting, but I just couldn’t help the school boy behavior.

Once I glanced up at Violet to make sure that I was forgiven, I noticed that he sported a soft smile. “Thanks, college boy,” he said quietly.

My eyebrows furrowed. “For what?”

“For not treating me like I’m a second class citizen.”

“Oh.” I could feel my face get hot before I spoke again. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re the most snazzy person that I’ve ever met.”

“Really?”

I nodded and he smiled.

“Thanks,” he said, barely audible as his cheeks flooded with color. The man closed the bathroom door.

The fluttering inside my stomach went into overdrive. Not knowing what to make of it, I simply sunk onto my bed and when I did, my imagination took over.

_Violet climbed onto the small bed next to me and smoldered before speaking. Make love to me, college boy._

At that, I quickly snapped back to reality. I had manipulated the man’s intoxicated words into something sick and twisted.

I’m not a nelly. I love women and even the thought of another man’s rough stubbly body against mine made me want to vomit.

_But Violet as Violet…_

I heard an odd gurgling sound emanate from the bathroom and it made me frown. I pushed myself off of the bed and over to the bathroom door. “Violet?”

When the gurgling continued, I began to panic. “Violet!” I shouted as I pounded on the door. After discovering that the knob was locked, I had no choice but to kick it in.

“Violet!”

The man’s head had just slipped beneath the surface of the bath water and I wasted no time reaching in and pulling him out.

He was limp in my arms. “Violet! Violet!” I  frantically pleaded as I shook him. I glanced around the room in hopes of finding a towel or something to cushion the rest of his body against the cold floor tiles, but that’s when I noticed the spoon and syringe on the counter.

Fearful that the drugs had finally taken their toll, I continued to shake and call out to him.

A few seconds later, he finally gasped and coughed up a mouthful of soapy water.

“Oh God,” he groaned as he clutched his throat.

“Are you okay?”

Violet looked up at me and nodded. “Don’t cry, college boy,” the man rasped with that cheeky smile that had grown to be a comfort to me.

I didn’t even realize that I had tears in my eyes, but I wasn’t surprised. I was terrified that he might’ve been beyond help. “You scared me,” I exhaled. “Violet…the drugs-”

“I know, I know. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Part of me said to leave it alone but another part of me never wanted to see the man like that again. I genuinely cared about his well being, and that feeling won over the common sense to mind my own business.

“There shouldn’t be a next time. Especially after what just happened.”

My tone wasn’t judgemental or authoritative but I could tell by Violet’s expression that he didn’t take too kindly to the words.

“Who do you think you are to try and tell me what I should or shouldn’t do?” he fumed as he pushed himself away from me. “You’re a spoiled, helpless college boy and you have no idea what it’s like in the real world!”

“Violet, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Well, when you judge me from your high horse then damn skippy I’m going to be upset. I’m livid!” the man exploded, growing more angry and erratic with each word. “I wouldn’t even be here if you weren’t such an idiot and killed a blue coat! Hell, they don’t even know I was involved! I don’t have to be here! As a matter of fact, fuck this! I’m leaving!”

On one hand, I wanted to beg him to stay, but on the other, if he left and I was ever caught, then he’d be safe.

This was all my fault so was it fair for me to drag him down with me?

“Okay,” I sighed.

I don’t think Violet was expecting such a simple response because he hesitated for a second before pushing himself off of the floor. With weak and shaking legs, he made it to the doorway. I noticed him slipping probably even before he did and was there to catch him before he hit the floor.

Violet frowned and pulled away, but like I suspected, was too weak to make it any further and ended up falling to the ground.

“Would you stop being so stubborn?” I asked as I helped him to his feet.

“I’m just a little…dizzy…but as soon as it goes away, I’m outta here,” he assured in a light slur.

“Okay.” I led the nude man to his side of the room and helped him into bed.

“A bed,” he exhaled almost orgasmically as he sunk into the cushions and folds of the soft mattress. “I haven’t been on a bed in God knows how long.”

My eyebrows furrowed. “But you have a bed at your house.”

“It’s straw with cotton blankets thrown on top,” the man mumbled.

The statement broke my heart. I knew that sleeping on the floor was bad, but one night hadn’t killed me.

As I imagined what Violet must’ve gone through, I wanted to console him in some type of way but I didn’t want to come off as patronizing. It didn’t matter either way because before I knew it, the man was snoring.

I sighed, a little relieved that he hadn’t left and even more at ease that he was okay. I pulled the blanket up over his bare chest so that he wouldn’t catch a cold before toweling the water off of the bathroom floor. I then bathed myself in scalding hot water; desperately trying to scrub away the murderous events of the day.

When my skin practically began to bleed, I got out, checked on Violet once more and climbed into the bed on my side of the room. I prayed that the next day would bring happier events before  falling asleep within minutes.

—

When I woke the next morning, I checked my watch and realized how late I’d slept. I glanced over at Violet’s bed. It was empty.

“Violet?” I called as I slid from underneath the sheets. When I saw that he wasn’t in the bathroom and that my revolver had been left on the table, I figured that he’d finally sobered up enough to leave.

My heart sank, but I knew that it was for the best.

Not knowing when or where my next one would be, I bathed and washed my face excessively, even making sure to get behind my ears like my mother always told me to.

Once complete, I packed my dirty clothes into the suitcase and tucked the revolver into my waistband. I bidded the room goodbye before opening the door; my stomach flipped at the sight of Violet sitting with his feet propped up on the steering wheel of a convertible baby blue Ford Cabriolet. The man brought his lit cigarette to his lips and when he saw me, he smiled around the orange butt.

“Well, look who finally woke up. Don’t look so somber, college boy.”

“I thought you were gone.”

“Gone and left you all by yourself? I’m pretty sure that’d be considered animal cruelty.”

I cackled. “I think God might’ve dropped your blueprints a few times when he made you.”

The man threw his head back as he laughed in that wild way he always did when he thought something was really funny. It never failed to make me smile.

“Well, what are you waiting for college boy?! I didn’t steal this car for nothing! Let’s go!”

I rushed towards the vehicle, tossed my luggage into the backseat and hopped into the passenger side.

“Can we stop somewhere for breakfast?” I asked as I fastened my seatbelt.

Violet shot me a look. “You sir, are indeed a toddler.”

“But I’m hungry,” I practically whined, solidifying his point.

“The more stops you make, the easier it is for blue coats to track you.”

I exhaled loudly.

“But since the teenie-weenie baby-waby can’t go a minute without eating, I guess we have no choice,” he said in a mocking tone but I didn’t mind.

“The more you call me a baby, the more I’ll act like one,” I assured.

“Shit on yourself, and I’ll kill you.”

We both laughed before Violet flicked his cigarette butt into the dirt and slammed on the gas.

—

After a few more miles and complaints that I was spending all of his money, Violet finally stopped at a small diner on the Tennessee border.

“How often do you…you know…become Violet?” I asked.

The man took another bite of his pancakes before glancing up at me. I could tell that he initially wanted to say ‘mind your own business, college boy’, but the fact that he didn’t made me feel like we were becoming really good friends.

“Whenever I need money.”

I thought for a minute and tried to phrase the question as nicely as I could. “Your house isn’t the…best.”

Well that was a fail. But I continued to try and save myself.

“What I mean is, you make thousands on any given day, why don’t you spend that money on your basic needs. Like besides the drugs, where does the money go?”

Violet sat back in his seat and lit a cigarette. I had obviously ruined his appetite and he glared at me through narrowed eyes before speaking in a low, intimidating tone. “What I do with my fucking money, the money that I risk everything for,” he emphasized each word, “is nobody’s fucking business.”

I defensively raised my hands. “Of course. I just want…if not the best things in the world…then at least better for you. Nobody should sleep on straw.”

I could tell by his expression that the man had a response, positive or negative, I wasn’t sure but the words touched him in some way. He decided to keep it to himself and instead, took a long sip of his coffee.

I grinned and went back to cutting my sausage.

“Stop smiling,” Violet ordered.

“Okay,” I replied with a nod but trying to suppress my smile only made me smile even more.

It made Violet smile too.

—

A few more hours, lots of laughs and three cars later, Violet and I were cruising into Atlanta.

“How much farther?” I asked.

“Just a few miles,” he assured.

He drove into a residential area that was surprisingly nice. The lawns were green and well manicured and some of the houses we passed were even more decadent than mine.

When he parked in front of a large two story colonial, my mouth dropped. The white paint and navy blue shutters were in perfect condition and the driveway even held two Morris Minors.

“This is your family’s house?”

Violet nodded. “I grew up here.”

“Then why-”

He sighed loudly as if to shut me up while he pulled a piece of paper and pen from his pocket. The man scrawled out a few sentences before folding it in half.

“I’ll be right back.”

I watched as Violet climbed out of the car and approached the front door. He slid the note into the mail slot before practically running back to the car.

“What’s going on?” I asked, a little on edge.

“Nothing…now we just have to wait.”

Violet looked like a nervous child who was waiting for his mother to reprimand him and it made me a little concerned. We sat in silence as the tension continued to build and a full ten minutes went before the front door of the house opened.

A middle aged woman stepped onto the porch. She was beautiful in a way that made it obvious that she was Violet’s mother, but her intense glare towards the car made me extremely uncomfortable.

“College boy,” Violet sighed. “I didn’t leave last night…mostly because I didn’t want to leave you alone…but also because I need some support through this.”

“Wait, what? Support through what?”

“You don’t have to do or say anything, but just,” he exhaled, “come in with me.”

I was taken aback by how shaken the usually strong willed man was. It made me want to do anything I could to make him okay again.

“Of course, Violet.”

“Oh God, you can’t call me that here.”

“What do you want me to call you then?”

He hesitated before answering. “Jason.”

I grinned. “Healer.”

“Huh?”

“My mother is big on horoscopes and the meaning of names. Jason means ’healer’. I’m not sure if it suits you but-”

His smile did a number on me. I could tell that my presence had a calming effect on him and maybe Jason needed me just as much as I needed him.

I followed his eyes as he looked up at his mother. She simply nodded and it made Jason exhale in relief. “Let’s go.”

After undoing my seatbelt, I exited the car just as the other man did, following him to the porch of the house. The woman’s glare nor demeanor changed as we approached and I found it to be odd, but who was I to judge?

“Hey, Ma,” Jason exhaled. I could tell that the man wanted to reach out and embrace her, but the woman’s folded arms would make the loving gesture one-sided and uncomfortable.

“They’re in the backyard by the pool,” she coldly replied.

I watched as the man’s face fell a little but he nodded and entered the house, gesturing for me to follow.

“Good afternoon, ma’am,” I said politely before we passed the threshold of the immaculate abode. The place reminded me of my own childhood home with every bit of expensive decor and not a sign of the Great Depression in sight.

“Jason?” a teen boy with dark hair asked in disbelief as he descended the stairs.

The man’s face lit up like I’d never seen it before. “Joseph, hey!”

The family resemblance was clear and this had to be Jason’s younger brother. They ran towards each other and it resulted in a collision hug that was obviously a big emotional moment for the both of them.

“Where have you been?!” the teen demanded.

“Oh, come on I write you guys letters all the time.”

“I know, I know, but it’s not the same as having you here.”

“I bet, buddy, but you know how important my job is. I’m trying to restore the poor parts of the country. And the New York stock system is the only way to do that.”

I raised an eyebrow at the man’s smooth lie.

“Yeah,” the boy sighed. “Who’s this?”

“Oh, this is Matt. He’s my coworker. He was nice enough to help me drive down here because you know the train takes two days.”

Joseph extended his hand. “Nice to meet you,” the boy said politely.

I returned the gesture. “Likewise.”

“What’s it like working on Wall Street?”

“Um, really good,” I stammered.

“Do you-”

“Joe, what did I tell you about asking too many questions?” Jason reprimanded.

“Sorry. So, what about Dad?”

“Dad’s still in Beijing, he’s attempting to work out financial negotiations there. It takes time, Joe. You just gotta be patient.”

“He never seems to have time to write us letters like you do, though.”

Jason pulled the teen into a headlock. “The Beijing mail system is probably backed up from all your love letters, scallywag.”

“You’re gonna be buzzard food once I’m done with you!” Joseph declared before the roughhousing ensued.

“I got two bucks on him,” I added with a chuckle.

Jason gasped. “Traitor! You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Am I?” I teasingly asked.

“Yes!”

Jason was distracted long enough for Joseph to get the upper hand, pulling him into a headlock.

“Say uncle!”

“Uncle! Uncle!” the man declared as he tapped out.

Joseph released him.

“You been working out?”

The boy flexed. “Yeah. I’m trying to impress Laila.”

“That chubby little McQueen girl from down the street?”

“Shut up, she’s not chubby!”

“Simmer down, I’m only kidding. She’s cute. And to impress her, I’ll make sure you have your own meat wagon by the end of summer, alright? You’re seventeen now. You need your own car.”

“That’d be the bee’s knees!”

Jason pulled his younger brother into a hug and kissed his hair. “Dad and I do our best to make sure you guys have what you want.”

“I know, I respect you both so much. I want to be just like you when I grow up.”

Jason tried to hide his frown. “Don’t be like us. You’ll be even better.”

“I already am,” Joseph teased.

Jason chuckled. “True. Where is everyone else?”

“Lillian is watching them in the pool.”

“Okay. Are you keeping the boys away from your sister?”

“Ugh, it’s like a full time job,” he groaned.

“Well, it’s not her fault that she’s beautiful. She is related to me,” Jason said smugly.

Joseph rolled his eyes before laughing.

“Come on,” the man told me before the duo began to make their way towards the back of the house.

Once we reached the backyard, my eyes grew wide at the seven young children splashing and diving into the swimming pool. When they saw Jason, they all went berserk.

“Jason! Jason!” the little voices overlapped one another as they charged the man with their wet bodies.

I cringed a little, but it was cute nonetheless.

“Hey guys! Has everyone been getting their letters from me?”

“Yes!” the kids said collectively as they latched onto the man’s arms, legs and back.

“Okay, okay,” he chuckled. “Ten-hut, so you can meet my friend.”

The kids let go of the man and lined up seemingly by height.

Starting with the tallest and I assume, oldest of the kids, Jason introduced them to me.

“This is Lillian, she’s fifteen. Malcolm is thirteen. The twins, Julie and Joel, are eleven. Claire is nine, Henry is seven and this little muffin is Mary Beth. How old are you again?”

“Five!” she giggled.

“Oh my God, you’re middle aged!” Jason teased as he scooped her into his arms.

“Everyone, this is Matt. He works with me.”

A little intimidated, I gave a short wave. “Hi.”

“He’s cute,” Claire said with a giggle.

“Oh, Claire we have to get your vision tested immediately,” the man teased.

“Oh my God, Jason, she’s so boy crazy,” Julie said accusingly.

“Am not! Why don’t you tell him how you flunked math this year!”

“Because I didn’t flunk, I got enough extra credit right before summer,” Julie retorted.

“Yeah, after copying all of my work,” Malcolm snitched.

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

It was the last intelligible thing I heard before all of them began to argue, voices overlapping one another.

Jason made his way over to me. “And these are my siblings,” he said proudly. “I’m the oldest of nine.”

“Whew,” I exhaled. “I can only imagine what that’s like. I just have an older sister.”

“It has its challenges.”

“I’ll bet.”

“Jason!” Lillian chirped as she approached. “You have to come down to the stables one day, Blossom is the sweetest pony ever.”

“Aw, I’m glad you love her. Keep up the good work taking care of her and I’ll make sure you can get her a friend soon.”

“Eee!” the girl squealed before hugging him.

“Love you, kiddo.”

“Love you too.”

“Alright, I gotta go talk to Mom. You guys get back to swimming.”

The kids went crazy and began to fling themselves into the water.

“You’re all wet,” I commented as we turned to enter the house.

“It's okay. Don’t make me push you in and let them attack you,” Jason threatened with a chuckle.

“Oh, don’t do that. I need this outfit for my first day back on Wall Street,” I taunted.

The man shot me a narrow eyed look. “Don’t do this, college boy. Not here.”

“Mmkay, but you owe me dinner.”

“Fine,” he hissed. Jason then led me through the house to a hallway. “Wait here,” the man said before entering the small seating area where his mother sat in her rocking chair as she knitted.

I puffed out a lungful of air before the note on the table that lined the wall caught my attention. Ever the curious one, I leaned over to get a clearer view of what it said.

_Mom, I know you probably have nothing to say to me, but I just have to see my siblings. It’s been three months and they have to see that things are still okay. I’ll wait outside for your answer._

My eyebrows furrowed. What the hell was going on?

“I’m glad that the kids are happy.” Jason was quiet but I could still hear him.

His mother didn’t respond.

“Thank you for keeping up with the Beijing thing. It’s what’s best until they’re older.”

“Mary Beth has never seen him and Joseph was twelve when he left so what difference does it make?” the woman coldly asked.

“It makes a difference to me." I heard sone rustling before Jason spoke again. “There’s about fourteen-hundred.”

“Thanks.”

“Make sure you pay the stable fee for Lily’s pony and I want Joseph to have his own car.”

The woman must’ve nodded or something because I didn’t hear anything before she asked the next question. “So…is that man your…special friend?”

“No,” Jason replied nearly instantly. “He’s just a coworker.”

“Then you’d better watch the way you look at him before…people think otherwise.”

“Mom, I’m not diseased,” he exhaled.

“God says otherwise,” the woman snapped back.

“I-”

“I think it’s time that you leave.”

There was a long silence.

“Okay, just let me say goodbye to the kids.”

The pain in his voice made me want to storm in there and shake the woman. I heard Jason push himself off of the couch and as he exited the room, I saw the tears in his eyes.

“Jason,” I sighed as I tried to think of something to say to comfort the man.

He sniffled and shook his head before making his way to the backyard.

“Hey guys,” he said, voice weak. “I gotta get going.”

Mayhem ensued as their small voices overlapped once again.

“What?”

“No!”

“So soon?”

“Why?!”

“But you just got here!”

“Please don’t go, Jason!”

“I have to guys,” he sniffled. “I have to get back to work so that I can send you gifts and things.”

“Gifts are nice, but we want you to come home,” Mary Beth whined as she rubbed her eyes.

“Oh God, please don’t cry, MB,” Jason pleaded as he sunk to his knees to embrace her. “I promise that I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, I’ll send you the biggest doll house in the state, okay?”

“Okay,” the girl sniffled.

“I’ll keep writing you all letters like I always do. Henry, keep helping Mary Beth with hers so that her reading can get better.”

“Okay.”

“Lillian, make sure everyone takes their medicine if they’re sick.”

“I will.”

“Twins, make sure everyone uses the buddy system when you go places.”

“Okay,” they said in unison.

“Malcolm, go easy on the pranks.”

“You have a ‘kick me’ sign on your back,” he admitted.

The man smiled. “It’s okay. Claire, stay away from the boys.”

“I make no promises.”

Jason chuckled. “And Joseph, you’re the man of the house. I’m depending on you to look after everyone.”

The teen nodded and shook his brother’s hand before all of the siblings shared a group hug.

“I love you guys.”

“We love you too, Jason,” they all clamored.

When the man broke the embrace, the small tribe followed us out to the car, shouting ‘we love you’ and ‘come back soon’ as a teary eyed Jason waved goodbye.

Although I had no idea where I was going, I offered to drive to give the man a break but his quiet sobs in the passenger seat made me feel like my attempts were in vain.

“Jason…um…is there anything I can do to help?”

“I normally just mail them the money just so I don’t have to go through this. But there’s your answer,” he replied through tears.

“Huh?”

“You wanted to know where all of my money went. My brothers and sisters don’t even know that the depression exists because I’d never let them. I’ll steal and live like scum of the Earth, just so they can live in a fantasy world because they mean that much to me,” he wept. “Every nickel that I spend is one less nickel for them. And it takes thousands to pay the taxes on the house, for them to buy the most trivial things but I don’t care.”

Don’t cry, stay strong. Don’t cry, stay strong, I repeated to myself. “I respect you so much for it. But…where is your father? Why doesn’t he help?”

Jason groaned. “Speaking of scum of the Earth.”

“What do you mean?”

“You remember when you asked whose fault it was to the financial problems we have in this country?”

“Yes.”

“Well my father, Martin Dardo, was one of the wolves on Wall Street and one of the most powerful financial service providers at the beginning of the twentieth century. I had an amazing childhood and everything was perfect until the stock market crash of ‘29. My father sensed that trouble was brewing and cashed in all of his stocks, swindled thousands of people out of their money and fled the country. He left my mother while she was pregnant with Mary Beth, along with seven other young kids and we haven’t heard from him since.”

I now realized why the name Dardo sounded familiar. “I remember reading about him and a few other guys in the paper who did the same. To this day, my parents still say how grateful they are for not ever trusting banks or outsiders with their money.”

“It’s true. You can’t trust anyone.”

I wanted to protest the statement but I knew it’d be pointless.

“After all that happened, I dropped out of college to find a job but nobody would hire me. I was so desperate for my siblings to continue to live as if nothing had changed, that I became Violet.”

“From college boy to jewel thief,” I attempted to joke. It seemed to work because Jason laughed.  

“Hey, I had to do what I had to do. And if I’m ever arrested, I’ll rob my cellmates to send my family stuff.”

“Oddly commendable.”

“You’re oddly commendable,” the man retorted as he wiped his eyes.

“Oh, that was a good one,” I said sarcastically.

“If you weren’t driving, I’d punch you in the arm.”

I scoffed. “Stop being so violent.”

“Sorry, your face just brings that quality out in me.”

“Well, Claire seemed to like it.”

“She’s clearly delusional. Must’ve swallowed some pool water or something.”

“Touché.”

“Mm hmm. Over there lookin’ like a Halloween decoration.”

I cackled. “Damn, could you please leave me with an ounce of self-esteem?!”

“Fine,” Jason sighed. “I’ll spare you for the rest of the day, but tomorrow, brace yourself.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Planning a tomorrow, are we?”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Just drive this meat wagon, man. Up the road is a diner that has really good fried chicken.”

“Food,” I growled as I punched the gas.

Jason smiled as he shook his head.

—

After dinner, Jason was adamant about getting out of Georgia because if he was ever arrested there, his family was sure to hear about it and their fantasy would be destroyed.

We made it to the outskirts of North Carolina before finding another small motel to crash at.

I bathed first and as Jason walked sideways into the bathroom after me, I grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Give it to me,” I demanded.

The man immediately snatched away. “Give you what, you lunatic?”

“The drugs. I refuse to let you do that to yourself while I’m around.”

“Then leave! You ain’t my damn keeper!”

“No,” I said sternly before patting the man’s pockets. It earned me a firm punch in the back of the head, but I didn’t care.

I did my best to restrain Jason as he snarled like a wild animal while I retrieved the brown paper sack from his pocket. I tossed it across the room.

When Jason tried to run after it, I pulled him from behind into a bear hug so that he couldn’t attempt to bite me anymore. His hands had just enough leeway to scratch my arms until they bled, but it wasn’t nearly enough to make me release him.

“Let me go, you stupid son of a bitch! I’ll kill you! I’ll shoot you in the fucking face, I swear to God! Let me go, motherfucker!” he shouted as he squirmed, but my grip around the slim man was unyielding.

When his threats went on deaf ears, the man stooped to insults.

“Your fiancée had the right idea! She cheated on you ‘cause you ain’t shit! You’re a worthless piece of shit and I’m glad she cheated on your stupid, ugly, probably no good in bed, ass!”

The last one made me frown, but I wasn’t bothered by the rant.

After a few more minutes of insults, Jason resorted to pleading.

“Matt,” he whined. “Please. Please, I need it. I’m begging you. Just please let me go.”

“I can’t,” I exhaled. “That stuff’s poison and I just can’t let you do that to yourself.”

“I need it, I need it,” he whimpered.

“No you don’t,” I said sternly. “I know you think you do, but there are more important things in life. Think of your siblings. Imagine if they got hooked on this stuff.”

“Don’t say that,” he sniffled.

“Lead by example, Jason. Even if they aren’t around, they still look up to you. And when they get old enough to learn what those marks on your arms indicate, they’ll think it’s okay because ‘Jason did it’.”

The man burst into tears as he continued to squirm. I kept my embrace tight, partly so that he couldn’t get away and mostly to show him that he wasn’t alone.

I held Jason for at least an hour before the man began to shiver.

“I’m cold,” he said through chattering teeth.

With one swift move, I snatched the blanket off of my bed and wrapped it around him before securing my hold once more.

Moments later, the man began to hyperventilate. Soon after, came the retching. I walked Jason over to the bathroom, giving him enough room to vomit into the toilet several times until he was empty and plagued by dry heaving.

His ravished body was doing it’s best to compensate for the damage the years of addiction had done.

“It hurts, it hurts,” Jason wept as he trembled uncontrollably.

At some points in the evening, just to ease the man’s suffering, thoughts of just letting him use again crossed my mind, but I had to stay just as strong as he did. “I can only imagine,” I sighed.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

I paused and thought about the question for a minute. “Because I care about you. After all the trouble we’ve been in together, how could I not?”

Jason didn’t respond for a long time. “I care about you too,” he finally said in a weak voice.

I smiled and before I knew it, kissed the man’s hair. I was grateful that he couldn’t see my face, because once I caught myself, I turned bright red in embarrassment.

“Your scabies will kill me before the withdrawals do,” he groaned.

I let out a light laugh that helped to ease the tension.

“For what it’s worth, I’d happily kill you with my scabies.”

“For what it’s worth, death by college boy’s scabies sounds like a good way to go.”

As the man continued to shake and occasionally heave, I tried my best to keep the conversation light hearted until the man eventually fell asleep in my arms.

Once he was snoring, I gently placed him in bed. I then smashed the brown sack underneath my foot before flushing its contents down the toilet. Jason would be upset in the morning, but at least he’d be alive to tell about it.

—

“Good morning,” I said the moment that Jason opened his eyes.

“Kiss my ass,” he groaned. I knew that the man would be grumpy when he woke up, so I had a cigarette readily available. He immediately accepted it. “I feel like shit.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You should be,” he said as he took a long drag of the cancer stick. “What’s that smell?”

“Breakfast. I knew you’d be hungry so I got up extra early to get us food.”

Jason frowned. “Or an excuse to not let me out of this room.”

I chuckled. “That too.”

“Do you know how fucking annoying you are?”

“I’m aware of it, yes.”

“Good,” he hissed. “Now give me my goddamn food.”

I smiled and handed him the container of waffles, hash browns and bacon along with his must-have cup of coffee.

“Thanks, college boy,” he sighed, light trembling already starting to take over his body.

Although I knew it’d be a long day, I tried to conceal my concern. I simply braced myself and smiled. “You’re welcome, Jason.”

“You think just cause you know my real name that we’re friends now, don’t you?”

“The moment that you helped me cover up a murder, was the moment that we became friends.”

“Oh God, is it bad that I almost forgot about that?”

“I wish I could forget about it,” I exhaled.

“You will eventually. You’ll become so numb that the only way you’ll be able to feel alive again is drugs.”

It was an interesting insight into the man’s mindset and how easily someone could slide down that dark path. “Not if I have a friend.”

The man rolled his eyes, but unbeknownst to him, I caught the soft smile that he tried to hide.

—

Over the next few days, I kept Jason busy with trivial things like checkers, going to the cinema and feeding ducks at a nearby lake during the day and at night, I cradled him to appease the trembling until he fell asleep.

The only way I was able to sleep without paranoia that the man would run off to find drugs in the middle of the night was to tie a string of bells on the doorknob of the exit. It was extreme, but Jason needed it.

Slowly but surely, his trembling became less severe, he was able to keep food down and his attitude towards me was less rooted in hatred and more playful like it used to be.

“College boy, you have a big head. I’m surprised that your mother didn’t name you watermelon.”

I cackled. “I’m sure she thought about it.”

We continued to go back and forth as we packed our suitcases but I paused when I came across Courtney’s engagement ring.

Without a second thought, I grabbed the diamond and placed it into Jason’s hand. “This is no use to me now.”

The man’s eyes grew wide. “College boy, I can’t accept this,” he exhaled.

“Oh, you can steal diamonds but you can’t accept one from me?” I challenged.

“I can but…why don’t you sell it and buy yourself something nice? I don’t know…it just seems wrong.”

“Pfft, I’ve had plenty of nice things in my life and now I want to do something nice for someone else.”

Jason stared down at the flawless four carat diamond set in a platinum band.

“It’s worth about eight thousand. Sell it and send it to your family. Joseph can get his car, Lillian can get another pony, Ma-”

I stopped abruptly when the man threw his arms around me. “You have no idea how much this means to me,” he said, voice clearly overwhelmed with emotion. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. I mean, we’re in this thing together now, right?” I teasingly asked.

The man kissed my cheek. “Definitely,” he chirped before grabbing the car keys and rushing out of the door. “Let’s go, college boy!”

I sat frozen; stunned as I cradled my cheek and the warmth that radiated against it. I cleared my throat to find my voice. “Right behind ya, Jason.”

—

After driving so far that we’d lost track of where we were, Jason and I stopped at the first restaurant we saw to celebrate friendship and life over lunch.

“Oh, college boy what am I going to do with you?” Jason asked after I’d joked about his snoring whenever he slept.

But the man kept staring intently over my shoulder and it made me uneasy.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’m pretty sure I know a blue coat when I see one and that guy is sticking out like a sore thumb. He keeps glancing over here, but don’t look,” Jason warned.

“Huh?” I asked a little late and just as I turned around, the undercover cop stood and pointed his gun directly at my face.

“Matthew Lent! Put your hands on your head!”

My heart sank as I interlocked my fingers behind my head.

“You’re under arrest for the robbery of Diamonds & Pearls and the murder of Lieutenant Daniel Donigan.”

Jason gasped dramatically. “That was you?!”

I frowned. “What?”

“You’re a thief and a murderer!” he exclaimed. “Officer, you have to get this menace off of the streets of America!”

“Jason, what the fuck?! You’re the one-”

“Who is Jason, you delusional man?! Your crime spree is over and I’m glad that you were caught before I could be your next victim,” he said before bursting into hysterical tears. His acting was flawless.

The cop grabbed my arms, twisting them as he clasped the handcuffs tightly around my wrists.

As Jason continued to ‘sob’, I thought back to the moment Violet walked into Diamonds & Pearls. I should’ve had the sense to turn her away then or else I probably would’ve never been in these handcuffs, on my way to the the back of a cop car.

Well, I guess this is what I wanted. Jason didn’t murder anyone and shouldn’t have to go down for any involvement in my crime, but I thought the man would’ve gone down in a more supportive manner. I thought we were friends.

As I was led away, Jason wouldn’t even make eye contact with me and to put it simply, it broke my heart.

—

As I was led into the prison, the stale air, the stench of body odor and the weight of my world crashing down around me made it nearly impossible to breathe.

Since I’d murdered one of their own, the cops wasted no time treating me beyond cruelly.

After being denied bail because I was a flight risk, my handcuffs were tightened to the point where they had begun to cut into my wrists. My ribs were beginning to bruise from the shoving and jabbing of stiff batons as I was led from room to room. My fingerprints and photos were taken aggressively before I was stripped down to my underwear and thrown into a small, cold, cellar-like room.

I huddled into a ball on the floor to conserve my body heat and the only thing I could think of was how quickly my life had declined.

After hours, maybe days or even weeks, a bright light was shown through a small, slot opening in the door. I raised my hand to protect my sensitive eyes as I tried to figure out what was going on.

“Are you hungry, you piece of shit?” a devious voice asked.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t. “No,” I rasped. “But I am a little thirsty.”

“Okay,” the voice said sharply before slamming the slot shut.

Seconds later, it reopened and the tip of a hose was placed inside before it was turned on full blast, shooting me with an ice cold spray that actually felt like needle pricks against my skin.

I couldn’t even work up the energy to beg them to stop. The torture went on for God knows how long before the spray was finally turned off.

“That should quench your thirst for a while,” the voice cackled. A group of people laughed maniacally, as the slot was closed and I was left in total darkness once again.

—

Over the next few hours, days or weeks, I was finally allowed a black and white striped jumpsuit. Then eventually dirt filled water to drink. Then eventually bread so hard that I could’ve mistaken it for a brick paired with a mystery meat that I was sure had gone bad.

I was never allowed to leave the room to bathe or brush my teeth. They gave me a pot to be used as my toilet and they’d let days go by before it was emptied. Since I couldn’t stomach the prison food to begin with, luckily, all I had to put up with was the stench of my own dehydrated urine.

I felt like the real life Oliver Twist and as the guards taunted me about the electric chair frying my brains to a crisp any day now, I prayed that I’d go out even sooner. I just wanted die from the sheer disappointment that I felt in myself.

Several hours, days or weeks into my oppression, the cell door was snatched open. “You got a visitor.”

I was bewildered.

“The sheriff is here and by law, since we didn’t let you have your one phone call, we have no choice but to let you see your visitor,” the guard hissed. “And we’ll have to move you to a normal cell. I have no idea why there are laws to protect the scum like you.”

With the help of the wall, I weakly pulled myself to my feet.

“What Godless monster would visit you, let allow be your fiancée, I have no idea,” they continued.

Fiancée? I scoffed to myself. Lord knows how I’d react to seeing Courtney, but I did think that contact with her was better than talking to myself which had grown more frequent to pass the time and to keep some semblance of my sanity.

In addition to the handcuffs that they had me wear, twenty-three hours a day, shackles were placed on my ankles to prevent me from running. Then with a shoving baton, the guard led me into a small room with a metal picnic table bolted to the floor. The blonde woman stared down at her nails as I approached. Despite wearing the white dress that she knew drove me crazy, I had nothing but hatred in my heart for her. I scowled at how pretentious she was acting at a time like this, but after a month long affair, I wasn’t shocked that she didn’t give a damn about me anymore.

“No touching,” the guard warned before watching me sit down.

“You know, you should really stop telling people that I’m your fiancée. It’s over,” I hissed.

When the woman glared up at me, my heart leapt out of my chest, my stomach dropped and I was completely speechless.

“Oh, Matthew,” Violet said in a soft, feminine voice. “How could you say such a thing? I thought you loved me.”

When I didn’t respond, Violet narrowed her eyes but kept up the act. “Oh, honey, and even after you gave me such a beautiful ring.” She placed her hand on the table, exposing the flawless four carat diamond that had once belonged to Courtney. Before Violet spoke again, she stared intently into my eyes. “I love you, Matthew…and if you’re still in it, then so am I.”

To outsiders, her tone might’ve sounded loving, but I recognized all of the signs and nodded. “I’m still in,” I assured.

The woman smiled before pouting. “This has been the longest two weeks of my life.”

“It’s been two weeks?” I asked in disbelief. Somehow it felt like two hours and an eternity all at the same time.

“Two…long…lonely weeks,” she lustfully replied.

I had no idea where the woman was going with this but I had no choice but to play along.

Violet leaned in. “I need you right now!” she declared before wrapping her hand around my neck, pulling me in until my lips met hers. As soon as our flesh made contact, Violet swiftly pushed the small pick from underneath her tongue into my mouth.

“Hey, no touching!”

I didn’t even get to fully enjoy Violet’s incredibly soft lips before the guard snatched me away by the back of my jumpsuit.

“I love you, Matthew!”

“It’s time for you to go ma'am!”

“I’ll see you soon!” she continued. “We’ll ride away underneath the full moon! Or better yet, the summer solstice! That’s when the fewest stars are out!”

Due to the shouting, other guards quickly rushed into the room. One grabbed Violet by the arm and began to lead her out the opposite direction but she ensured that her clues were heard.

“The solstice is practically a holiday around here and there won’t be as many stars, my love! That’s when we’ll meet again! I’ll wait for you!”

It was the last thing she was able to get out before she was escorted away and before I was dragged to my new cell. Since I was now in plain view, I guess they were forced to treat me like a human. The guard removed my shackles and the handcuffs that had now left permanent scars.

“Piece of shit,” he hissed under his breath before slamming my cell door closed.

I still wasn’t allowed a cellmate, but at least this room had a cot and metal bars instead of a solid iron door. Once locked inside, I watched the cop leave before pulling the small piece of metal from my mouth.

It was the perfect size to pick a lock. I slid the tool into my sock, sat on the edge of my bed and began to decode Violet’s clues.

 _The summer solstice is June twenty-first, which is tomorrow…but it’s not a holiday. And what about fewer stars?_ I pondered for a long time. _Stars means guards…but-_

When I heard footsteps, I quickly laid down and pretended to be asleep.

“Out of the entire year, the twenty-first of June is the only day I take off. The weather is always perfect for the festival,” one guard said.

“Lucky you. I’m stuck babysitting the trash,” the other groaned. “Me and Johnson.”

“Well good luck with that,” the first one chuckled.

I smiled to myself. _Violet, you are a genius._

—

At 11:59 p.m., time seemed to stand still. The small prison that only held one hundred prisoners was eerily quiet and I feared that I’d be heard. The two guards that were there did their usual rounds, which consisted of walking pass the cells, glowering at the prisoner as if they soured their stomach before shouting the occasional insult and moving to the other side.

Each time the second hand on the clock ticked, I flinched as if it was the click of a gun  during Russian roulette. I didn’t have any time to go over how badly this stunt could end, mainly with my death. But if I stayed, I would die. If this plan failed, I would die trying.

The only thing that gave me strength was Jason’s words that rang clearly through my mind.

_Let’s go, college boy! I didn’t steal this car for nothing!_

And the exact moment that the clock struck twelve, I became numb. The ringing in my ears took over as I reached into my sock, retrieved the pick and  stuck it into the cell’s lock. With a few jab, jiggles and twists, the latch clicked.

I froze, listened for footsteps and when I didn’t hear any, I snatched my cell door open and took off. To my dismay, I had no idea where I was going. As I sprinted around the corner, my luck instanyly seemed to pick up when I saw the door that I’d exited through after visiting with Violet.

My heart raced as I shoved it open, entered and made my way to the door that Violet had been escorted out of. When I did, it led me to the lobby. A room that contained the front desk and a guard to occupy it.

Before he was able to stand, draw his gun or even form his mouth to make a sound, I slammed the man’s head against his desk. Hopefully it knocked him unconscious, but I didn’t stick around to see. I raced out of the front door and as sure as the sky was blue, there was Violet in a newly stolen car, waiting for me under the midnight moon.

“Hurry, college boy!” she urged.

As I began to sprint the few yards towards the car, my relief quickly turned into terror as I watched Violet grab my revolver and point it directly at me.

Was this her plan all along? To kill me and eliminate the only witness able to implicate her in countless jewelry store robberies? Now that I knew where her family lived and her true identity, was it time to get rid of me before I confessed any of that information to the world right as they lowered the switch on the electric chair? I had no idea, but whatever her reasoning, I was prepared to accept my fate.

When Violet pulled the trigger, I flinched before fighting the urge to say ‘Ha! Ya missed!’ but the groan and thump behind me made my blood curdle. I turned around to see the officer that I thought I’d left unconscious, laying on the ground. He had his baretta drawn and ready to shoot, but the bullet of the revolver that now rested in his heart, was quicker.

“Let’s go, college boy!”

I ran the short remaining distance to the car and dove in. Violet slammed on the gas and we escaped under the dusky nightfall.

We drove for hundreds of miles and before we could run out of gas, Violet stopped at the first hotel she saw. Unlike the seedy motels, we’d been staying at, the hotel offered softer beds and overall more luxury. Hell, after spending two weeks in a dark cellar, even Violet’s shanty town shack would’ve been luxurious to me.

I changed out of my striped jumpsuit and into my old clothes and Violet handed me a false mustache before we entered the hotel’s lobby.

“Hi,” Violet greeted. “Can I have a room with two beds, please?”

“Two beds?” the receptionist asked as she glanced between Violet and I.

“Yes. My fiancé and I had a quarrel, so now he doesn’t get the privilege of sharing a bed with me. He’s lucky that we’re even sharing a room.”

The woman laughed as she booked us for the night and handed Violet the key.

“Thanks,” I sighed.

The receptionist wished me luck. I thanked her again because she had no idea how much I actually needed it.

—

The entire ride here, no more than three words were spoken between Violet and I. Perhaps it was the weight of another life loss at our hands and it was just the respectful thing to do. When I sat on the edge of my bed, I finally broke the silence.

“Now that another blue coat is dead…what do you think they’ll do?”

“They’ll have the entire country looking for you,” Violet said honestly. “But that was my doing and I can’t let you go down for it.”

“But you did it to save me,” I reminded.

The woman bashfully stared down at her hands as she spoke. “I couldn’t let him kill you,” she said quietly before becoming stern. “Besides, it doesn’t matter why I did it, I’m now a murderer.”

I let out a feeble groan. “The one tragic thing we have in common.”

“We need to leave the country,” she said quietly.

I frowned. “You can’t. You have your family to take care of.”

“Their only problem is money. I’ll stack up on enough to ensure that they’re good. They’ll be fine.”

I nodded.

“But _you_ won’t if we don’t get out of here. Just until things cool down. Canada, Cuba, Brazil, anywhere but here.”

“You’d run away with me?”

“Pfft, we’re in this together.”

I thought for a long time before speaking again. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” I exhaled. “After you made such a theatrical production of pointing the finger at me to the undercover blue coat, I just accepted it.”

“I’m sorry,” Violet offered. “But if we both went to jail that day, we would’ve never gotten out of there alive. And if I would’ve been the one to go, you don’t have the street wit to get me out,” she said teasingly.

My eyebrows furrowed. “So from the moment that I got arrested, you were planning a break out?”

“Of course! Otherwise, I’d never throw you under the bus like that, college boy.”

My heart practically melted.

“And I’m sorry that it took two weeks but I had to case the place in different disguises first and as I did I overheard several of the guards talking about taking today off. And I figured a pick swap via smooch wasn’t a bad idea,” she said with a laugh.

I blushed. “It wasn’t.”

“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news…but you stink, college boy.”

“They wouldn’t let me bathe! They treated me like I was a monster.”

“You aren’t one?” Violet challenged.

“You know what-” I grabbed my pillow and tossed it at her before wincing at the pain in my wrists.

“What’s wrong?”

“They fucked up my wrists with the handcuffs.”

She made her way towards me and gently grabbed my hands to examine the wounds.

Violet frowned. “You need to clean and wrap these before they get infected. I’ll ask the receptionist for a first-aid kit.”

“Okay,” I exhaled.

After Violet left the room, I quickly submerged myself into the bathtub and the orgasmic feeling of being clean again nearly overwhelmed my senses. Because of my cuts and wounds, I got out sooner than I would’ve liked but I felt a world better. I pulled on a robe before hesitantly looking at my reflection in the mirror. The man that stared back at me, was haggard and worn down by life and even after I removed the faux mustache, I barely recognized him.

“College boy?” Violet called as she knocked.

“Come in,” I sighed.

She opened the door and gave me the once over. “You okay?” I hesitantly nodded causing Violet to fold her arms. “What’s wrong?”

“I just never imagined my life going in a direction like this. Running from the blue coats, murder, I don’t know…”

“Well, it’s happening now and the only thing you can do is be smart and stay alive. Make the best of your life even if it is as a hardened criminal,” she said with a smile. “I seem to manage.”

“Play with the hand you’re dealt and shoot for the house.”

“Precisely!”

I smiled as I turned back to my reflection.

“I meant to tell you how awful you looked, but I’m trying to play the part of a loving fiancee here,” she teased.

I rolled my eyes.

“Come on, let me bandage your wrists.”

Violet grabbed my hand and led me to my bed. “Sit, sit.”

As she went to work, I noticed that the ring that I’d given her was gone and that she wore long gloves that covered the majority of track marks on her arms. “Did you sell the ring?”

“Yes. Got seventy-eight hundred for it,” she relayed, clearly still in disbelief over the number.

“Send the money to your family?”

“Yes.”

“All of it?”

The woman glared down at me. “Why?”

“It’s been two weeks…I couldn’t be here to tie a bell to the door or to…hold you,” I said quietly.

The woman’s scowl faded into a soft smile. “For your information, I haven’t touched the stuff since you so rudely forced me to stop cold turkey.”

“Sorry. But you’ve never looked better. Your skin is practically glowing now.”

“Pfft, that’s just this pancake makeup,” Violet chuckled as she finished wrapping one wrist and began on the other.

“Nah, you just seem so much happier and it looks really good on you.”

Despite the heavy foundation covering her face, I could see her cheeks flush bright crimson.

“Thanks, Matt.”

I’m sure Violet had said my name before, but this time it felt different. I liked the way it sounded coming out of her ruby red covered lips.

“You’re welcome.”

“Done.” Violet packed the remaining gauze and tape back into the kit before stretching. “Ugh, it’s been a long day.”

I bit my lip as I watched her pull her gloves off. The act was simple and even if she didn’t intend for it to be erotic, it got my blood pumping.

She must’ve felt me staring at her because she turned around. “What?”

“You’re driving me crazy,” I exhaled. I couldn’t believe that I admitted it because underneath the wig, dress and makeup, it was still Jason; another man. But I couldn’t help the way that I felt.

“Am I?” Violet asked in a lustful whisper.

I nodded as I continued to gnaw on my bottom lip.

She smiled and sunk onto the edge of her bed before slowly running her hands down her long legs to the hem of her satin gown; gripping the edge of the fabric and pulling it up until her black stockings and garterbelt were exposed. The woman unclipped the hooks that held the material against her smooth gams. She slid it down and off tauntingly slow but I enjoyed every second of it.

After dropping her stocking to the floor, Violet sat back on the bed and extended her other leg towards me. “Wanna give me a hand?” she seductively asked.

Without a word, I pushed myself off of my bed and over to her. I knelt down and rubbed my hands over the smooth nylon eliciting a giggle from the woman. I smiled and finally undid the clips before rolling the stocking off of Violet’s silky leg.

“Thanks, Matt,” she exhaled.

Hearing my name come out of her mouth again was just too much for me and I broke. Wrapping my hand around her neck, I pulled Violet towards me until our lips met in the most explosive kiss I’d ever had in my life.

My stomach flipped, my body yearned for hers and it all felt so wrong that it just had to be right.

Violet must’ve been thinking the same thing as she reached for the opening of her dress.

“Let me do it,” I panted before gripping her wrists in one hand while my other hand pulled the zipper down agonizingly slow.

“Matt, please,” she said so softly that I barely heard her.

“Please what?” I asked just as quietly.

Violet pursed her lips. 

It made me frown. I knew what she wanted to say and making her say it was now my new mission.

I peeled her dress away so leisurely that it practically took two minutes just to expose the woman’s black lace brassire. I watched Violet gnaw on her lip to the point where I thought she’d make it bleed. When I thought she was ready to crack, I asked again.

“Please what?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

I kissed her collarbone and I witnessed the goosebumps appear as the chills surged through her body. As I slid her gown down to her stomach, I continued to kiss along her creamy skin and grinned as she writhed under my touch. I was no stranger to sex and what women liked, and as things progressed I quickly learned that Violet was no different. When I got her dress to her waist, the woman lifted her hips, allowing me to pull the satin completely off, leaving her in just her black lace undergarments.

“Woof,” I teasingly exhaled.

She giggled and pulled me down into a kiss. When I ran my fingers through her hair, the wig began to slide back. I froze.

Her demeanor instantly became self conscious and when she sat up, I gave her ample room. Violet removed the wig completely and wiped her lipstick off with the back of her hand. “Well, I guess the fantasy’s ruined.”

I frowned. “Fantasy?”

“Well, there’s no way you’d be attracted to me as _me_ so,” Jason rushed as he attempted to slide off of the bed but I placed my hand on his to stop him.

“Look at me.” The tawny brown eyes met mine. “You are beautiful. Inside and outside. As Violet and as Jason.”

He smiled and it made my heart melt. I put on a mock frown. “Damn you for smearing your lipstick. That was supposed to be my job.”

Jason let out his perfect musical laughter. “Well, you can take off my bra and…other things,” he said suggestively.

“Lucky for you, I’m an expert at removing women’s undergarments,” I said smugly.

“You’re off your rocker,” he said before pulling me into a kiss.

While our lips were connected, I reached down to give his false breasts a squeeze. It made me giggle. “What’s in there? Biscuits?”

“Ugh, you’re such a goof, college boy,” he said as he reached into the bra and pulled out the orange foam.

I grabbed it from him and gasped. “Did you take this out of a couch?”

“Maybe.”

“Jesus Christ, you steal from furniture too?! Not even inanimate objects are safe from your thievery,” I teased.

“Shut your trap,” he said through a clenched jaw before attempting to push me off of the bed, but I caught his arm and pulled him down with me, landing on the carpeted floor in a low thump.

I cackled. “We’re in this together and you’re going down with me.”

“I guess I’m stuck with you now,” he exhaled before leaning down to kiss me. The man straddled me and I wrapped my arms around his waist. Our mouths explored each others and before long, my robe was removed and things became more heated by the second.

Although this was my first experience with another man, it didn’t feel strange. Jason knew exactly what he was doing and once his mouth was wrapped around my cock, I nearly exploded then and there.

“Oh God, okay, okay,” I panted after a few minutes.

Jason pulled away. “What’s wrong?”

“I want to make you feel good too.”

“Please.”

“Please what?” I challenged.

The man’s smile was soft. “Make love to me.”

My stomach lurched at the words I so desperately wanted to hear spoken to me from the moment the tawny eyed beauty walked into Diamonds & Pearls.

Jason kissed me again as we made our way to his bed. I could tell that he appreciated me trying to connect with him on a deeper level.

And we did.

Our fingers were interlocked as we made passionate love. The man’s body seemed to morph around mine as I thrust in and out of him and it felt heavenly. Unlike anything I’d ever experienced before, I knew that I wouldn’t last much longer.

“I’m close,” I moaned.

“Me too. Don’t pull out,” he panted.

“If you weren’t so damn tight, maybe we could go all night.”

“Pfft, don’t blame me because you can’t last more than a few minutes,” he said teasingly.

“Shut up,” I ordered before kissing him. Once our lips connected, I couldn’t hold back anymore. The usual tingling in my stomach surged through my entire body and every nerve ending was ignited by the euphoria. “Fuck.”

I assumed that Jason had climaxed as well as he held onto me and moaned into my ear.

It was the most erotic thing that I’d ever experienced in my life and I wanted it to last forever.

After a few minutes our breathing returned to normal and I finally pulled out, but Jason continued to hold me close as he traced swirls on my chest.

"Making love to you is better than any drug," he whispered before kissing my jawline.

It was the most affection that anyone had ever shown me, and since I never wanted it to end, it made me question myself.

“Does this make me a nelly?” I quietly asked.

Jason scoffed. “Nothing about you has changed.”

“I’ve never been with a man before…it’s just different. But in a good way,” I assured.

“You’ve never been with a man and I’ve never been with a woman, so there. We’re even.”

My eyebrows furrowed. “Wait, how does that make us-”

“Ugh, don’t question it, college boy! I believe in the beauty of things without trying to stress yourself by putting a label on it.”

“I really like that.”

Jason smiled. “So there. Just love, no labels.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I teasingly stammered. “Who said anything about love?”

The man rolled his eyes before giving me a firm shove. “Get out of my bed. I’m gonna go to sleep.”

“Fine,” I sighed. I wasn’t sure if Jason wanted it, but I kissed him anyway then made my way to my bed.

“Goodnight, college boy.”

“Goodnight, thief.”

“Go to hell.”

“Only if you join me.”

“Deal.”

—

“So Spain it is,” Jason said as he sipped his coffee.

“Yeah, I can’t wait to meet the Prime Minister,” I teased.

The man rolled his eyes. “And if we don’t like it there, we can always travel and go other places.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“But before any of that happens, we’ll need money.”

“I could always write my parents and tell them to send me some but I’m nervous the blue coats will track the mail.”

“Yeah, that won’t work.”

“So what do you suggest?”

Jason flashed a suggestive grin.

“Oh no.”

—

Although I felt right at home in the place, my heart pounded as I followed Violet into Pandora’s Jewelry Box and with my false mustache and useless bifocals, I went along with her act.

“Hello,” she greeted the sales clerk in her terrible Spanish accent.

“What can I help you with today?” the woman behind the counter asked.

“I’m here to show my would-be fiancé what kind of ring us women deserve,” Violet purred.

“Excellent,” she chirped. “I’ll be right back with something I know that you’ll love.”

“Thank you,” the blonde con artist said as the woman walked away before turning to me. “If the clerk is a woman, you must relate to her. If the clerk is a man, you must seduce him.”

“Good to know.”

Violet smiled and gave me a gentle punch on the arm.

“Whoa, before you kill him, check out this stunner,” the clerk giggled.

I gestured for Violet to sit as I examined the two carat diamond. My job was to determine how much each piece was worth and cue my partner in crime as to which to pocket.

“Can I see something with a platinum band?” I asked, not wanting to waste time on the sterling silver.

“Um, yeah of course.” She was surprised that I even knew the difference as she returned the ring to its slot.

“That diamond had a few flaws,” I quietly informed.

“Aw, just like you,” Violet replied.

I firmly gripped her neck from behind and leaned down towards her ear. “I’ll show you a flaw later on tonight,” I whispered.

“I look forward to it. But you’ll need to squeeze a little harder to get a rise out of me, doll.”

I chuckled and kissed her cheek. And as the woman returned, she opened the glass chest in front of us and pulled out a tray of platinum pieces.

“This one is nice,” I said, picking up the most valuable of the bunch before sliding it onto Violet’s finger.

“Oh, honey it’s beautiful. But you know that I’ll need earrings, a necklace and a bracelet to match.”

“Anything for you, my love. Bring out your most exquisite pieces for my most exquisite beauty.”

“Lucky lady,” the clerk chirped as she made her way to the safe.

I suppressed my laughter when Violet shot me a crossed eyed look.

Once the woman returned moments later, I raised an eyebrow at the stunning Egyptian blue diamond. Violet instantly got that familiar childlike glint in her eye.

“How many carats is this?” I asked.

The clerk lifted the ring as she gave the details. “This is our Adah diamond from India. It’s eighteen carats with a platinum band and it’s definitely our most exquisite piece.”

The woman placed it in Violet’s eager hand. “I love this,” she said orgasmically.

“It’s incredible.”

“It alone could probably feed a family of nine for a year, couldn’t it, darling?” she asked underhandedly.

“For two years, my dear, but it does indeed have a name,” I reminded.

“I’m aware of that,” she retorted. “But just look at it…two years.”

I placed a hand on her shoulder. “They’ll be taken care of no matter what.”

Violet nodded and returned the expensive piece to its slot before her slide of hand trickery began. “I really love this one and this one. Oh, baby, but this one is stunning too! Can I see the other one again? Ugh, I love this!”

I watched in awe as her hands moved faster and faster, shifting the items around at a dizzying pace and even though I was aware of what was happening, I couldn’t make out when the transaction was made. Hell, I didn’t even know which one she had pocketed but she gave me a wink and I took my cue to get us out of there.

I glanced at my watch. “Honey, it’s time to go! I’m late for my meeting!”

“But honey, you didn’t even buy me a ring,” Violet sniffled.

“You won’t have a ring _or me_ if you don’t bring ya ass on!”

The clerk gasp. “Oh my goodness.”

“You’re heartless!” Violet sobbed as she rushed out of the place.

“Sorry for the inconvenience,” I told the clerk before following Violet out to the alley where she had already broke away from her dress and wig. I tossed the bifocals to the ground, pulled the false beard from my pocket and added to my chin while Jason removed the last remnants of makeup from his face. We tossed the disguises in the trash then casually walked towards the street with the clerk none the wiser. At least until someone does inventory.

“Which one did you take?”

“Three carats, platinum band.”

I quickly calculated the worth in my head. “About five thousand.”

“Wooo! Ugh, I get such a rush from this.”

“Do you?”

Jason bit his bottom lip as he nodded. The fire in his eyes was an instant turn on and I couldn’t help myself from finding a secluded location and taking him from behind.

The thrill of being such a sly criminal and the danger of being caught by the blue coats at any given moment made for incredible foreplay. And soon, robbing jewelry stores became a daily thing for us.

—

As Jason laid on his back, completely nude, I tied his wrists to the bedpost with a string of pearls and placed a diamond brooch over his mouth.

“You’re like my own personal gem,” I exhaled. “Too bad I can’t sell you.”

He laughed, causing the brooch to fall.

“Don’t move!” I demanded through a clenched teeth as I returned it to his lips. “But alas, even if I could, I wouldn’t sell you because you’re priceless.”

He smiled. I gazed down at my tawny eyed lover covered in diamonds and pearls. The sight was like a gift from the Gods and I wasted no more time before taking his full length into my mouth.

—

I stroked my false beard and adjusted my eye patch as Violet shuffled through various jewels in front of her at Gia’s Gems.

After pocketing the six carat ring, we made love. After swiping the ruby choker, we fucked. And after obtaining a diamond cuff, we became one.

We hit multiple stores in multiple cities; spiraling down this intense Ronnie and Clyde esque crime spree. And after a few days, our profit had totaled nearly three hundred thousand dollars.

We both agreed that it was more than enough for us and Jason’s family to live on for awhile and we were scheduled to leave for Spain the next day, but for foreplays sake, we needed to do it one last time.

—

At Jason’s insistence, we returned to Pandora’s Jewelry Box and pulled the exact same stunt.

“Sorry for the inconvenience,” I told the clerk once again before rushing out after Violet.

Jason tossed his wig and things into the trash as I removed the mustache and put on a beard.

“Which one did you take?” I asked.

Jason flashed a mischievous grin and pulled the blue diamond from his pocket. My eyes grew wide.

“You stole the Adah?! But it has a name!”

“I know, I know but we’re leaving tomorrow so it’s not a big deal,” he assured. “We’ll sell it in Spain that way nobody will know that it’s hot.”

“That makes me nervous but okay.”

Jason pulled me into a kiss. “Just trust me. Everything will be okay.”

“I trust you.”

We shared one more kiss before exiting the alley to the street. The setting sun behind the bustling city skyline made for a romantic scenery and just as I went to grab Jason’s hand, the familiar click of a baretta sounded behind us.

“Matthew James Lent, get on your knees!” the blue coats shouted.

“Fuck,” I groaned as I began to sink to the ground but before I knew it, Jason was pulling me along and we were sprinting down the street. We managed to get some distance between us and the cops as we bobbed and weaved through the evening crowd.

“Halt or we’ll shoot!”

“Jason,” I said in a panicky tone. “We have to stop.”

“No! I refuse to go to the big house!”

A shot rang out from close behind us.

“Shit! Um, we have to split up,” Jason panted.

“No, I won’t leave you.”

“Matt, there’s no time! Meet me at the tunnel that covers the canal a mile down. We saw it as we drove in, remember?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

The man kissed me. “Go, go,” he rushed before taking off in the opposite direction.

I made it a few yards before I heard four baretta shots ring out. My heart sank and I nearly crumpled to the ground. “Oh God, no,” I panted as crippling anxiety surged through my body. “Please let him be okay.”

I fought the urge to go back and look for him as I continued on towards our agreed upon location. Once I found the stone monument, I jumped into the frigid waters and sloshed underneath the tunnel.

As each second ticked by, I grew more and more anxious. And when two more shots rang out in the distance, I burst into tears; nearing so much hysteria that I barely heard the water splashing behind me.

“College boy,” Jason wheezed as he approached.

I immediately threw my arms around him. “Thank God you’re okay,” I sniffled.

We shared a quick kiss before he continued to catch his breath. “I went around the block to mislead them, but they’re close.”

We heard another shot ring out as the stammering of their boots grew louder and louder.

“Do you have the revolver?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“You have thirty seconds to come out or we’ll come in after you!” the blue coats shouted.

“Fuck, fuck,” I wracked my mind over what to do, think or say next. “I have to go,” I finally exhaled.

“Matt, no,” Jason whimpered as he gripped the lapels of my shirt. “We’ll figure something out. I have enough bullets, I’ll kill them all if I have to, please-”

“No,” I said quickly as I grabbed his hands. “Think about your family. If we both go down, who will look after them?”

The man burst into tears. “Matt, please don’t do this to me. We’ll figure something out.”

“It’s figured out. I’m gonna turn myself in and while they’re distracted, you’re gonna leave out the opposite direction of this tunnel and get somewhere safe.”

He tried to protest again but I silenced him with my lips. “Let me remember this moment…I’ll never meet anyone like you ever again. You really are a master thief...because you stole my heart.”

“You’re so fucking cheesy,” he sniffled. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

Through both of our tears we shared the most passionate kiss I’d ever had in my life. And without another word, I had to pull away to exit through the tunnel’s opening with my hands up.

“I surrender!”

“Get him!” the man who I assumed was the captain hissed.

I was charged by at least six officers as he continued to shout.

“Where’s the other one?!”

“No,” I exhaled. It hadn’t been enough time for Jason to get away. I had to do something to continue to distract them, even if it meant risking my life. As the men continued to rush towards me, I turned around and began to sprint as fast as I could in the opposite direction.

“Halt or we’ll shoot!”

I couldn’t stop. Not yet.

_Bang!_

The first bullet hit me in the shoulder. “Fuck!” I groaned out in agony. But I had to keep going.

_Bang! Bang!_

The second bullet landed in my leg and the third missed me completely. “Oh God,” I panted as it became more and more difficult to run.

_Bang!_

The fourth bullet was successful in bringing me to my knees as it ripped through the flesh of my left kidney. The blinding pain was far too great and as blood poured out of me, the only thing I could think of was Violet walking into Diamonds & Pearls. If I had any sense, I would’ve turned her away then.

But I didn’t have any sense. I didn’t regret a single thing. And as I laid there dying, I couldn’t help but smile.

_Oh, college boy, you’re such a toddler!_

“Jason…I love you.”

–

I stayed in the hospital for three months.

The blue coats wouldn’t let me die on their watch, making sure that I made a full recovery just to break me down all over again before my scheduled execution. I avoided a trial and having to see Courtney’s face ever again by simply pleading guilty to all the charges against me, including the deaths of both blue coats and the multiple jewelry store heists. As my death date grew closer by the minute, the only thing that bothered me was not knowing what had become of my lover in crime.

I wrote his mother a letter but it was never responded to and that’s what tortured me the most. Eventually, I just accepted my fate. Writing letters that expressed everything I felt for the tawny eyed beauty in hopes that he’d see them one day was the one thing that brought me a semblance of peace.

_And if you’re reading this right now, I hope that you still feel the way about me that I feel about you: the most amazing crook in the world. I-_

I jumped when the guard banged his baton against the iron bars of my cell.

“I don’t know what a dame like that is doing being engaged to a piece of shit like you, but hey, she won’t have to suffer for long since you're on death row.”

My eyebrows furrowed. “Huh?”

“You got a visitor. It’s your fiancée.”


End file.
